Chronicles of Lily: New beginnings
by katiesquilts
Summary: Team 7 gets a new member. How will she affect each of their lives? The very first in the Chronicles of Lily installment. This installment is mostly OCxShikamaru and OCxKiba, but it's going to change in the next installment.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome back to me blabbering. Actually, I'm juggling writing this and watching episodes of Naruto online. So, in all, this paragraph is going to take me a long time. If I'm satisfied with ep 220, I'll actually work hard, but, still. Supposedly, equal amounts of play and work are good, but I find them, as Shikamaru would say, "Troublesome".

Hell, I don't own Naruto. But there's a really rich, old guy out there who made millions bye thinking him up, so I'll let that guy own him. Cause I don't own. I PWN!

One more thing. This is rightfully named a chronicle, well, because I don't think you want to have to read 20+ chapters, ne? I'm just breaking it up so it doesn't seem as bad. So, even if I put 10 chapters on this particular document, there'll still be more. I'll let you know when I want to retire the idea. But it won't be for a long…long while. Alright, waves away go read your damn, oh wait. Never mind. Just keep reading. cute, innocent look Here goes!

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Naruto stretched, yawning loudly as he did so. Tazuna was sure he could finish the bridge today, so Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and the knuckle-headed ninja could go back to Konoha tomorrow at the latest. Naruto was glad he could finally go back home; the Land of the Waves had done nothing but sap energy from the young ninja's body.

Sliding open the door to the kitchen, Naruto was greeted by a not so cheerful Sakura. The pink-haired girl and their sensei were already eating breakfast, and Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, already had a plate of food ready for the bleary-eyed blonde.

Kakashi looked up as Naruto entered the room. "Ah, Naruto, it's you. I was wondering when you'd get up. Can't sleep forever you know."

Sakura gave Naruto an intense and somewhat curious look. "Naruto, are you alright? You don't look so good," she commented.

Blushing at his teammate's concern, Naruto just muttered, "Fine. I'm fine," and took his place at the table. Digging into his food, he glanced over at Sasuke's sit, and muttered through a mouthful of food, "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura swallowed a bite of rice and said, "Oh, Sasuke-kun's already eaten, He's out in the yard, practicing." Naruto yelped at this, taking faster, bigger bites. "You should've woken me up! I've got to get outside and practice too!"

Naruto got up and thanked Tsunami for breakfast, but before he could exit the door, Kakashi called him back. "Oi, Naruto. One sec, please." Naruto turned back to look at his sense, though his foot tapped, showing his impatience.

"I have to go on a special mission in an hour or two, so it'll only be you three guarding Tazuna. I'm counting on you guys, so don't goof off while I'm gone, okay?" Naruto nodded, and rushed out the door. There was no way Sasuke was going to out-train Naruto!

Sakura turned to give her sensei a curious look. "Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know you were going to leave us alone. What do you have to do that's so special?" Kakashi-sensei just smiled at his female student. "Let's just say…I'm coming back with more than I'm leaving with. You'll find out later," he added, upon seeing Sakura's disappointment.

**Two and a half hours later…**

Sakura walked behind Naruto, Sasuke, and the bridge-builder Tazuna. They were on their way to the very end of the bridge. It was along way to walk, because Tazuna only had to build another 50 feet or so before bridge made contact with land. Kakashi-sensei had left on his 'important mission' before the others had. Sakura was still itching to find out what he had meant when he'd said, "I'm coming back with more than I'm leaving with."

Sakura had also meant to tell her male teammates about her conversation with Kakashi, but they had never stopped fighting long enough for the poor girl to get a word in edge-wise. And now, the two were completely ignoring each other. Sakura sighed, wondering what Kakashi-sensei was during at that moment. 'He's probably doing something really dangerous, something he didn't want to get us involved in,' she thought.

**With Kakashi…**

Kakashi wasn't doing anything dangerous, really. In fact, he was being served tea, in a small room at one of the lords' houses.

"Kakashi-san," a deep voice rumbled. "I have to thank you once again for taking on my granddaughter, Yuri-chan. She's a bit small, but I'm sure she'll show potential."

Kakashi waved his hands as if to say 'it's no big deal'. "No, actually, it's my pleasure. After all, training young children into fine, young ninja is what I do best!"

The lord laughed. "Ah, Kakashi-san, I know that to be very well true. But, ah, would you like to meet Yuri-chan? She's just arrived from the dojo; it'd be easy to call her in here for a quick introduction."

Kakashi nodded, taking a sip of his hot tea. "Yes, if it's not too much trouble. It's always nice to have an introduction before getting to the real business." The lord nodded, clearly agreeing. Motioning to one of the servants by the door, the lord also took a sip of his tea.

Only a moment later, the servant came back through with a tired-looking Yuri. The kunoichi (or _soon to be _kunoichi) was as small as her grandfather had described her. To put it lightly, she was skinny and short. Shoulder-length blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, which the young lady unconsciously pulled out, letting her hair fall naturally back to her shoulders. Big, blueberry blue eyes stared innocently at Kakashi as he took in the details of the girls face. _Hard to believe she's 13, ne? _Kakashi thought, grimacing at how young her body composure made her look.

Yuri bowed to Kakashi, and he nodded his head in turn. "Yuri-chan, darling, this is going to be your new sensei, Kakashi-san. Kakashi-san, this is my granddaughter, Yuri-chan. I hope you two can get along well," the old lord added with a laugh.

Yuri smiled at Kakashi, making her tired expression fade away, and somehow adding a few years. If just smiling added a year or two, her voice did wonders. It was as pitched as Naruto's was, not so seemingly high for a girl, not so low she could be perceived as a guy. 'Hello, Kakashi-sensei," Yuri greeted.

Kakashi managed to stutter a "Hello," back in return, and he somehow caught the young lady's eyes wandering out to through the doors to the garden. However, when he grandfather spoke, she had no choice other than to listen.

"Well, that's all, really. Yuri-chan, darling, you should go take a shower and make sure you've packed everything, you're leaving later on." Yuri nodded, showing she understood, and gave Kakashi a brief smile before heading back out into the hallway.

Silence followed after the kunoichi's departure. The lord took another sip of his tea and asked, "Well? What do you think of her?"

Kakashi turned his full attention back to the lord. "Lord Takahata, it's so hard to tell form one introduction. I'd have to actually see her fight before I knew her skill level, of--" The lord waved his hand impatiently. "That's not what I was talking about. I meant…do you think she will fit in with your group, your _Team 7_?"

Kakashi took a moment before answering. "Well, I know Naruto will welcome her with open arms; he' always up to making new friends. I'm guessing as long as she gets on Sakura's good side from the start, those two could develop a pretty strong feminine bond; Sakura's the only girl on the team, I'm sure it'd be nice to have another girl there with her. I'm not too sure about Sasuke though…he's always been a distant one. But, you can be sure she'll always have a friend or two!" Kakashi ended lamely.

Lord Takahata seemed pleased by his answer, however, because the old lord broke into a smile. "Again, Kakashi-san, I have to thank you. Yuri-chan's the key to this village; her being trained by such a great ninja as you is quite an honor."

Kakashi mumbled something about it being, "No problem," but the Lord shook his head. "Yuri-chan knows how much is on her shoulders. I…I just…"

"Wish she didn't have to go so far away?" Kakashi finished for the lord. Takahata nodded meekly, and Kakashi reassured him. "It's alright, I can send her every other month to go visit you for a few days, and you can always send and receive messages, letters…the whole she-bang." The lord only nodded his head no. "Nothing should come between her and her training," he said miserably.

Kakashi was silent, but only for a moment. "You know," he stated. "Even the greatest of ninja have to take breaks once in a while. It wouldn't be too bad to send her off, or if you're sure it would interfere, I could ask for more missions out this way."

Somehow, the lord brightened at this thought. "Kakashi-san, you genius." Kakashi blushed-no one had ever called him a genius before-, but the red tinge on his cheeks was hidden by his mask.

Kakashi and Lord Takahata conversed for another half hour, before there was a knock on the door and Yuri entered, now wearing dark purple capris and a black tank top. On her back was a small, brown knapsack. "I'm ready to go," she told her grandfather, a serious expression on her face.

Kakashi waited by the door to the mansion as Yuri and her grandfather said their goodbyes. When Yuri joined Kakashi by the door, he noticed her eyes were a little red, but he didn't mention it. As Yuri left, she glanced behind for one last look at the mansion that had been her home for so long. Sighing, she started down the street, following her newest sensei in the direction of the bridge.


	2. Chapter 2

My mom wants tuna melts for dinner. My first response: "What the HELL is a tuna melt?" My second? "Eh, gross! No thanks, I'll have cerial. Cause I'm a cerial killer.

I don't own naruto.

Alright! Second chapter! Sorry if the first one was a bit too short. I wanted to hurry up and get on to the main story. I'm a very impatient person. So, here goes!

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Kakashi hadn't realized how far away the lord's house was from the bridge. He trudged along with his student by his side. The young lady hadn't said much since they had left, so he tried to strike up a conversation.

"So...your name's Yuri-chan, ne? Does that mean you were named after a lily?" (Note: 'Yuri' _is _'lily' in Japanese.) Yuri just nodded, she had her thumbs under the straps of her knapsack, and was rubbing the brown material nervously.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei, can I ask you a question?" Kakashi nodded, and the blonde went on. "Why do wear that mask?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Why do you want to know?"

This actually caused the girl to look up at Kakashi, a big grin on her face. "I'm just as much my mother as I am myself. I always like to know a little about who I hang around with." Kakashi looked at her quizzically; who _was_ this girl?

"Actually, I don't really remember why I decided to wear this mask."

"Have you ever taken it off in front of someone before?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just a background check. Well, guess it's not really a background check, it's more of one of those little fun facts you like to know. Like, a fact about me is that my grandfather forced me to train with you."

Kakashi glanced at the littler girl. She obviously was trying to say she didn't want to train with him, or his team. "So," he asked. "Your grandfather wants you to do this, and you don't?" With a nod of approval, he went on. "You know, your grandfather doesn't really want you to go either, he'd rather have you stay here in the Land of Waves with him. But...he also said there's a lot on your shoulders."

Yuri gave a little snort. "It doesn't really matter anyways. I would've gone anyway, with or without his forcing me to go. So, um...tell me about Team 7." Kakashi realized the girl was trying to change the subject, and he willingly agreed.

"Well, Naruto-kun's a bit of a hyper-head, he's probably going to be the first to greet you. Don't be shocked if he says something about your size, though, he isn't all that bright when it comes to peoples' feelings. Actually, he really isn't that bright at all; he had the worst grades in his class. That doesn't mean he isn't a good fighter, though."

"Sakura-chan's the only other girl on the team, and she has a major crush on Sasuke-kun." Noting Yuri's funny look, he said, "Oh, it isn't too hard to figure out. And if you look closely, you'd also note that Naruto has a thing for Sakura-chan, but anyway. Sakura seems to think she's the weakest on the team. She has poor physical strength, but her intelligence highly makes up for it. She's a great analyzer, and can see a lot of things others can't."

Yuri sighed. So far, this team was shaping up oddly. "Well, you mentioned a Sasuke-kun person. Who's he?"

"Sasuke-kun's...a bit different. He doesn't really like to get close to anyone, and although he doesn't say it, he really cares about the team. He and naruto get in a lot of fights, but they usually end when Sakura-chan sides with Sasuke, giving Naruto-kun a thump on the head."

"So, he's distant. What about his strengths and weaknesses?"

_Damn, this girl likes to know her stuff._ "Well, he was top in his class, and he's got great physical strength. He's pretty well-rounded, but he's got a bad temper." Yuri grinned, "Nothing I can't break."

Kakashi could see the bridge coming into view. "Alright, we're almost there. The team's up there, waiting for us."

Kakashi didn't have to look at Yuri to know she was making a face. "If the bridge is alread done, we can probably leave today, but if not, we'll just stay another night and leave tomorrow." Yuri nodded, he was starting to think that this girl was a mini female Sasuke.

**On the bridge:**

Yuri held back as Kakashi went to greet Tazuna and his other students. She had seen Tazuna around the town a few times, but didn't know him all that well. What Yuri really wanted to do was to sit back and survey her new peers, but she didn't get the chance.

Yuri heard Kakashi as he called out to his other students. He had obviously not realized she had stayed so far back. Yuri sighed when her sensei started talking and she couldn't hear what he was saying. She decided to creep a little closer. She was still at a distance, but she could make out words like, "New student...shy...be nice...Naruto you're...Sakura-chan, please...Sasuke don't..."

Yuri heard a yelp and saw a blonde haired boy wearing an orange jumpsuit pointing a finger at her. "Is that her, Kakashi-sensei?" the boy asked, looking towards his sensei, and then back to Yuri.

A girl with pink hair and a boy with black hair and onyx eyes also looked her way, and Yuri put on a face that mimicked confidence. Striding up to the small group, Yuri stopped behind Kakashi and used part of his arm to hide herself, peeking around from his back to glare at the others kids.

Kakashi looked down to find Yuri hiding behind one of his arms. When he attempted to move away and expose her, she moved too, perfectly copying his movements. "Ah, Yuri-chan, you can come out of hiding now." Yuri only glared up at him too, and he froze. What a hating glare. _I wonder if it could match Sasuke's? _

Sakura put her hand up in greetingly and smiled at the younger girl. "Hey, I'm Sakura."

Yuri glared at the kunoichi, and muttered, "Yeah, I could figure that out. And let me guess..." Pointing to the blonde haired boy, she said, "That's Naruto." Swiveling her arm so it was pointing at the darker boy, she said, "And that guy's Sasuke." Lowering her arm, Yuri stepped away from Kakashi and gave the best introduction her cold attitude would allow her to. "I'm Yuri, and I'd rather not be here, truth-be-told."

Naruto laughed. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei, did you drag this little girl here against her will?" Naruto went to put an arm around the girl's shoulders, but she was shorter than the blonde was used to, and he only ended up whacking her in the head with his arm.

Yuri rubbed her head. "I'm not a little girl. And yes, he dragged me here against my will." Yuri was pleased when Sakura gave her sensei an odd look, and he smiled and reassured her, "No, it's just that Yuri's grandfather made her come with us."

Yuri thought it was the most miserable moment in her life. Having nothing to say, she glared at Naruto and asked him, "Why'd you have to hit me so hard?"

Naruto put his arms up, a big grin on his face. "I'm sorry! I'm just not used to short people, is all." He didn't realize what he'd said until after Yuri was in his face.

"You wanna say that again? I dare ya, say it and you'll be over that bridge railing in a second." Naruto backed away slowly, and the smaller girl followed him, until he was backed up against the very railing Yuri had threatened to throw him over. "Let's get this straight," Yuri's blue eyes were slanted, and her face had pure anger eminating from it. "I may be shorter than you, but last time I checked, you were the shortest one in Team 7 until I came along. I may not look it, but I was the strongest in my dojo, and _that's_ the reason I'm here, stuck with you. I could easily pick you up and drop you over that railing." Backing away, the girl added, "I hope you learned something from this experience. I won't be so kind next time."

Naruto was petrified, and he almost fell over the railing of his own accord. He watched as the little blonde walked calmly back over to Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi. _What the hell? She looks so cute, how could a little 7 or 8 year old be that scary?_

Yuri walked back over to Kakashi, hiding behind him once again. "Kakashi-sensei," she whined, her voice now sounding as young as she looked. "When are we leaving?"

Kakashi sighed, reaching up a hand to brush his fingers through his hair. What an odd girl, scaring Naruto into petrification one minute and acting as childish and cute as a 6 year old the next. "Well, Tazuna is putting the last few feet into the bridge right now, so it should be ready to cross in about, oh, say, two more hours."

Yuri whimpered in her head. _I don't know if I can stand being with these weirdos for another 2 hours. At least I won't have to talk as much when we're traveling. _Sighing, she walked over to the other side of the bridge and looked out at the water. Heaving herself up onto the railing, Yuri found a comfortable position and began to swing her legs to the rhythm of the waves.

"Ah, Yuri-chan," Kakashi began. "Isn't that a bit dangerous, sitting on the rail like that? You could fall off."

Yuri just ignored him. When he began to repeat himself, she sighed loudly and said, "Kakashi-sensei. I'm not like you're other students. Just as long as you leave me alone and don't bother me, I'll be fine."

Naruto had now recovered from his fear and shouted across the bridge, "How rude! You're so rude, you know that! You're worse than Sasuke!" Yuri smirked when she heard a loud _thwack_, supposing Sakura or Sasuke had hit Naruto in the head.

Her smirk disappeared, however, when Sasuke suddenly appeared next to her. She was suprised, but tried her best not to show it. The little girl just kept swinging her legs, back, forth. Back, forth. She could see Sasuke's smile out of the corner of her eye. She knew he was trying to bother her, just because she had asked them not to.

"Go away," she said simply, still looking out at the water.

"Make me," he retorted, still looking at her. Behind her back, Naruto was yelling something that sounded like, "Don't egg her on Sasuke! You'll get wet, and you don't have a change of clothes!"

_Now would be a good time to test his strength_ Yuri thought. Yuri reached up to brush a lock of hair away with her left hand, tucking it behind her ear. Her right hand clenched into a fist, and she shot it towards Sasuke.

Sasuke knew the little girl was going to try to hit him. He knew it, but he was still so surprised by her speed, he almost didn't have time to block the punch. Even though he blocked the punch, it still sent him back a few steps, and Yuri smirked. Just seeing that smirk angered him, and he hmphed, walking back to Sakura and Kakashi. "Damn girl," he muttered, and the smirk on Yuri increased.

Sakura decided to try her luck. Walking past Sasuke and Kakashi, she went over to the railing. Standing beside Yuri, she asked, "Do you like looking at the water?" It was obvious the girl wasn't going to answer. "I do. It calms me. I also like the snow, and I like to walk in the trees when it's hot and windy out."

Yuri glanced at the pink-haired girl next to her. "Why are you talking to me?" she asked, without emotion in her voice. Sakura just looked at her and smiled, "Because if you don't have me, you'd be stuck without a friend in the group, and the other boys would only make fun of you."

Yuri thought about what Sakura had said. "Stuck without a friend? I'm sure it sounds a lot worse than it is. And besides, if you haven't noticed, both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun have already somewhat offended me, and I dealt with them accordingly. I've been made fun of most of my life, them making fun of me would just be a continuation of that."

Sakura was listening, and was beginning to fully realize how stubborn this little girl was. _Wait, little girl? _"Um, Yuri-chan?" Yuri looked at Sakura when her name was mentioned. "How old are you, exactly? I mean, you got angry when--"

"I'm 13."

Sakura covered her mouth, and Yuri could hear yelps from behind her. Soon, Naruto was on Yuri's other side, and he was blabbering, "Are you sure? I mean, you don't look like you're 13. You're way too short! I bet you're just adding 4 or 5 years to you're age! Back then when you were whining to Kakashi-sensei you sounded just like a little girl, there's no way you could--"

Yuri cut the idiot off with another punch, but this time it wasn't stopped. Naruto went flying over quite a ways away, only to land on his back with a large groan. He got up again and asked, "What the heck was that for?"

"You were annoying me," Yuri said simply, a cute little smile on her face. Naruto grumbled, and looked around. "Oi, where'd Kakashi-sensei go?"

Yuri and Sakura turned around. It was true, Kakashi and Sasuke had left. Naruto began freaking out, but the girls just looked amused. "Hey, Naruto-kun!" Sakura shouted. "Shut up, they didn't go anywhere, they're just farther down the bridge!"

Naruto squinted to the very end of the bridge. He could just make out his sensei's silver hair, and a smaller body next to him was Sasuke. Naruto ran off to join the other males at the end of the bridge, and Sakura moved to join him, but stopped when she realized Yuri wasn't following.

"Yuri, aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, in a second." Sakura took that as a good enough answer, because she ran off to catch up with Naruto. _You know, they really aren't all that bad. Maybe this could actually be a little fun. _Smiling a secret smile for herself, Yuri twisted on the railing and jumped off onto the bridge. _Especially if Naruto keeps letting me hit him._ Giggling, Yuri skipped off to join Team 7. _I'll be sure to thank grandpa one day. I promise._

Yuri caught up with the others just in time to miss Tazuna's big speech about how great the bridge was. She waited silently as the others said their goodbyes, and joined them as they walked across the bridge onto the land. For the second time that day, Yuri looked over her shoulder to say goodbye.

Yuri spent the rest of the day listening to the whole of Team 7 bickering. She rarely ever said anything, in an attempt to discourage friendly relations. Once in a while she would be caught in a conversation, and Sakura or Naruto would hammer at her until she finally said something they could take as satisfactory.

One time, while they were taking a break from rushing through the trees, Sakura pulled Naruto over to Yuri and asked him, "Hey Naruto-kun, who does Yuri-chan remind you of?" Naruto scratched his head, and replied, "Well, she's quiet, scary, and snaps at anyone who tries to talk to her. I'd say she's like Gaara, of the Desert."

Sasuke had heard Naruto mention his enemy's name, and he too wandered over to the small group. " Hey, Naruto, what'd you say about Gaara?" Sasuke asked it nonchalantly, but even though Yuri had no idea who Gaara of the Desert was, she could tell Sasuke was involved with him somehow.

"We were just saying how Yuri-chan is just like him, don't you think so too?" Sasuke looked Yuri over curiously, and she couldn't help but stare defiantly at him from behind her book. "Yeah, I suppose so, but she's not even close to being as powerful as Gaara is." Yuri blushed, not so much from being embarassed but from so many people talking and looking at looking at her. Three people may not seem like a lot of people, but Yuri was one of those lay-low people, who get really flustered if they are put in the spotlight.

"Um, guys, I can hear you. And, I have no clue as to who this Gaara of the Desert person is, but I'm sure I could kick his ass easily."

Sasuke laughed, something he rarily did. "Yeah right, you don't even know how to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, and you probably don't even have a bloodline limit. If anybody got their ass kicked, it'd be yours."

Yuri blushed again, and stood up to get away from the three ninja. "Whatever you say, " she muttered. Yuri was almost a little curious, she wanted to know who this Gaara person was. Walking away from the small group, Yuri unconsciously looked for another spot to sit down and read her book in. Yuri was so caught up in her own thoughts she ran right into Kakashi as he appeared in front of her.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei," she said, rubbing her head where she'd walked into her sensei's chest. Kakashi was a little concerned, Yuri was never so out of it she walked into things, especially if those things were people. "Sorry, Yuri-chan. Have you seen the others lately?"

Yuri nodded and pointed down the path she had just come down. "They're a bit back, I just went for a walk to get away from..." she was about to finish the sentence with 'them', but decided against it. "Away from it all," she ended lamely. Kakashi just nodded, and headed on down the path she had pointed to.

Yuri looked around. They were in the woods, but though there was an abundance of trees, none of them had any branches low enough for her to sit on. Finally, the girl decided she could just sit on the ground, and nestled into a tree trunk with roots on either side of her. Burying her nose in her book, Yuri failed to notice the man clad in black, sitting high in the tree across from her.

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Sorry for the lame ending, I thought it'd be a good idea to end it here. By the way, I'm sorry for leaving out the battle on the bridge with Haku and stuff, I'll do that sometimes, so, like I said, sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

Okedy-dokedy. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow, I get to babysit a really cute little boy. So, I probably won't update tomorrow. claps A day off! But, I'll be back the next day with more hard work. And I'll try to get in a few more chapters tonight.

I don't own Naruto. But I do own a really cute dress, and a few books, and this computer, and...blabbers

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"Yuri-chan, is that all you're going to eat?" Naruto asked. The whole of Team 7 were at a family bar for breakfast. According to Kakashi, they would be back at Konoha by noon, and they were taking it easy.

Yuri mumbled something incoherantly, and rested her head on her arms. When Naruto blinked at her, she repeated, "I'm fine."

Sakura looked across the table at her female friend. Sakura had made it well-known she was glad there was another girl on the team, and was trying to make herself inseperable from Yuri. Concern shone in those sea-foam green eyes, as Sakura said, "You know, Yuri-chan, you didn't eat much last night either. Are you sure something isn't wrong?"

Yuri moaned inwardly. "Guys, I'm just not hungry. I'm half your size, that means I eat half as much, right?" Sasuke snorted, and Sakura threw him a dirty glance. No matter how much she liked the dark-haired boy, no one was aloud to make fun of Yuri, unless Yuri was laughing along too.

Yuri sat up straight, then leaned against the booth's back, and then swayed over to end up on Kakashi's shoulder. Yuri had taken to Kakashi like a bee to honey, and often hid behind his sturdy form when there were a lot of people around, and she also sat next to him whenever possible. Naruto refered to her as 'Kakashi-sensei's tiny shadow', and Yuri accepted the nickname without a fight.

Kakashi nudged Yuri so she would sit up and eat some more of her breakfast. "Come on Yuri, you have to eat sometime, you can't stay my shadow forever, no matter how much you look it." Yuri sighed, knowing her sensei's words were true. She had gotten even skinnier since leaving the Land of Waves, if it was possible. She could easily stand in the smallest shadow, and often hid behind people to scare them.

Yuri took a few half-hearted bites of her eggs before passing her plate to Naruto, who traded it with his own empty plate. Naruto had also gotten a new nickname. Yuri often ended up giving her leftovers to Naruto, and he would happily accept her. Yuri refered to him as her 'personal garbage disposal'.

Yuri scootched until she was as far over in the seat as she could go. Peering through the small hole in the sideboard, Yuri looked around hte rest of the bar. Her eyes rested on a mysterious looking man with a thic, black beard, but the rest of the bar seemed perfectly normal.

Yuri didn't see the man in the corner of the bar, however. He was dressed in black, and the black in his cloak matched the black in his hair. Cold, black eyes looked in the young girl's direction, as if he knew she was looking around the bar. Yuri Takahata, sister of Kohaku Takahata. Daughter of Isao and Haruhi Takahata, granddaughter of the only Lord Takahata.

"Yuri," the stranger whispered. "I _will_ get my revenge."

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Yuri stretched as she walked out of the bar. Reaching behind her back, the young girl rummage in her knapsack for her book. Not finding it, she took the knapsack off and thoroughly searched through it. Not finding her faithful book, Yuri jogged up to Naruto and asked in her little girl voice, "Naruto-kun, have to seen my book lately? I can't find it, and it's not in my knapsack."

Naruto looked at Yuri and shook his head no. Yuri asked Sakura and Sasuke, but they hadn't seen her book either. Finally, Yuri pulled on Kakashi's arm and asked sweetly, "Kakashi-sensei, have you seen my book? I can't find it, even though I'm sure I had it in my knapsack earlier."

Not even Kakashi knew where her book was. Wandering around on her own, Yuri finally ended up in front of a novel shop. After a quick glance through the shop window, she opened the door and stepped into the cool shop.

"Hello and welcome!" a cheerful voice greeted her. "Do you need help with anything?"

Yuri listened closely and determined the voice to be coming from one of the several rows of books. Walking towards the direction determined, she came face-to-face with an old man. He was short like she was, and he wore large, round spectacles that took up most of his face. "Hello, my dear!" she was greeted again. "Did you need something?"

Yuri blinked, and then hurried to say, "Oh! Oh yes, you see, I'm traveling with my friends, and I lost the only book I was carrying with me. I was hoping you could suggest something for me."

The old man chuckled, "Such well constructed literature for such a young age. Yes, yes, I have something for you little girl."

Yuri tried to supress the anger at being called a little girl, and stopped the old man. "Uh, actually, although I don't look it, I'm really 13. If you don't believe me, my friends are wandering all over town, I'm sure they could stop in for a little bit..."

The old man just waved her speech away as if it were an annoying fly. "That's all right, I believe you. Let's see, let's see. I'm supposing you like romance, with a bit of action and a dash of humor?"

Yuri was a bit shocked, that was how she had always described her favorite books to her grandfather. "Uh, yes," she said lamely, following the old man down on of the aisles, and stopping beide him when he pulled a medium-sized book off of the rack. "Here we are, this is a very popular book with the young ladies."

Yuri took the book form the man's hands and turned it over to read the summary on the back. "Yeah, this'll do," Yuri said distractedly. Yuri followed the old man back to the front of the store, where she paid for the book and left, already 3 pages in.

Yuri wandered around the town again, her nose in her brand new book. She didn't look up, however, until she ran into Sakura.

"Ah! There you are, Yuri-chan! I've been looking for you all over, let's go clothes shopping!" Yuri closed her book, making sure to note the page she had been on. "No thanks, Sakura, I have to be able to fit everything into my knapsack, and it's a tight fit as it is." Sakura looked a bit sad, so Yuri sighed and said, "I'd be willing to go help _you_ choose clothes, though."

Sakura brightened, and grabbed Yuri by the arm. "Come on, I found a great shop, and I really want to show you these pants, they're so cute!"

Yuri sighed. How much longer until they had to meet the others by the road? "Hey, Sakura!" she called. "Do you know what time it is?

Sakura stopped and peered in the closest shop window. "They're clock says it's 8:47. I guess that means we have to start heading towards hte road, huh?" Sakura's face fell, and Yuri nodded. "Yeah, but you can take me shopping in all the clothes shops in Konoha when we get there."

Sakura's mood brightened again, and the two hurried off towards the main road. It was 8:56 when they met Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi appeared a few minutes later, and they resumed their traveling.

Yuri once again had her nose in her book, and was annoyed when Kakashi pulled the small group to a halt. "Someone's following us," he warned. Looking back at Yuri, he called, "Yuri-chan, get up by us. It's too dangerous to stay far in the back."

Yuri went to move, but was stopped when a man in black (haha, 'men' in black) appeared between her and the others. Yuri took in his balck hair and piercing black eyes. She felt she had seen them somewhere before.

Yuri heard Naruto and Sakura yelp. She knew she should be concerned, but that face was way too familiar...

Yuri took a few quite steps so she was standing in front of the man dressed in black. She peered into his face, and didn't seem to mind when she pulled her up by the neck of her shirt.

Yuri could hear the shouts of her friends, but she was concentrating on that face. Then it clicked. "Oh! Benny-niichan! It's you!" Yuri wrapped her arms around the man, and he stiffened, but only for a moment.

"Damn it, Yuri, I told you not to call me that." Yuri didn't seem to care, because she was now hugging the guy so hard he didn't even have to hold her up anymore. Looking over his shoulder, Yuri smiled at her friends. "No need to worry, it's my brother's friend, Benny! Ne, ne, my friends can call you Benny, right niichan?"

Benny pulled at Yuri's arms to make her drop away from his neck. " I TOLD you, don't call me Benny. It's not even my real name."

Yuri pouted. "I can call you what I want, can't I?" She glared defiantly into Benny's eyes, and he sighed. "Damnit, Yuri, I see you haven't changed at all." The two turned when Naruto yelled, "HEY. WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN' ON?"

Yuri ran over to Naruto and took him by the hand, pulling him closer to Benny. "Naruto, this is Benny-niichan. He was my brother's friend, but I haven't seen him for a while. Right, nii-chan?"

Benny rubbed the back of his head for lack of anything better to do. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, your brother was really my only friend, so I had no reason to stay in the Land of Waves."

"So, whatcha doin' Benny-niichan? I thought you left and said you weren't coming back?"

Benny looked a bit embarassed. He couldn't tell her the real reason he had come to see her. "Ah, actually, I decided to move again. The real question is, what are _you_ doing?"

"I'm training to become a ninja!" she said rather proudly. Tapping Naruto on the shoulder, she said, "This is one of my friends, Naruto-kun." Rushing back over to the others, she pointed at the other ninja, "That's Sakura-chan, and the other guy is Sasuke-kun." Whispering to Benny, she told him, "I don't like Sasuke very much, he's always really mean to me."

Sasuke apparently heard what Yuri had said, because he blinked and then blushed a wild shade of red. Yuri didn't seem to notice, however, because she had one last person to introduce. Clinging to Kakashi's arm, she said, "And this is my sensei, Kakashi-sensei!"

Benny gave each ninja a small wave and a quick smile. "Nice to meet you, " he said with another quick smile. Yuri beamed up at her sensei and asked him, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, can Benny-niichan come back with us to Konoha?"

Kakashi used his free hand to ruffly his white, spiky hair. "I couldn't care less, really." Yuri squealed and ran back over to Benny, tugging on _his _hand. "You're coming, right Benny-niichan?"

Benny didn't really have a choice, and looking down into the smaller girl's face, he succumbed to her cuteness. "Yeah, I suppose," he muttered.

Yuri spent the last hour of traveling on Benny's back, s she had hitched a ride soon after their departure from the woods. Team 7 couldn't help but listen in on the odd conversation the too were having.

"So, Yuri-chan, why are you training to become a ninja. Kohaku told me you grumbled every time to word 'dojo' came up."

Yuri laughed, a tinky little sound that sounded like a sift, quiet windchime. "Oh, did he tell you that? Maybe that was back when I was still on my red belt, I hated that year. Anyway, Gramps made me do it, you know how he trusts me with everything. He actually pulled me aside one day when I was coming home from the dojo, and he was all like, 'This is a great opportunity, don't loose it. We're relying on you, don't let us down.' You know, the lectures he used to give Kohaku whenever he stayed out too late."

Benny walked in silence for a little bit, and then he asked suddenly, "Do you miss him?" Yuri obviously didn't like that question, because she undid her arms from around his neck and slipped down his back to the ground. She thought about not giving an answer at all, but decided on a quick , "Yes," before running over to Kakashi's group .

Benny sighed. Revenge was going to be a lot harder than he had expected.


	4. Chapter 4

Whoot! I am now 38 dollars closer to my dream vacation in Japan. Baby-sitting has its benefits, even if I couldn't write during that time. But, it insipred me to want to write a one-shot about Yuri baby-sitting a little kid. Fun, ne? Well, there's going to be lot's of home-wrecking, and that unlucky kid's gonna feel Yuri's fist, for sure, but maybe a guy should unexpectedly show up. A guy good with kids? thinks I'm thinking red hair, green eyes. Guess who?

---------

Yuri stared in awe at the Konoha gates. She had spent the rest of the time after her and Benny's awkward conversation by annoying Naruto and Sasuke. But now they were the ones to taunt.

"Oi, Yuri-chan. It's so funny how you have to lean your head so far back to look at the top of the gates, "Naruto laughed.

Sasuke appeared by Yuri's left shoulder and put an arm around her in mock protection. "Naruto, don't be picking on our new team member," he said sternly, but with a hint of laughter. "Besides..." Sasuke leaned his face in close to Yuri's. "I think it's kinda cute."

Yuri blushed and thought about smacking him again, but she didn't get a chance. Sasuke abruptly pulled his arm away from her shoulders and took a few respective steps back when a tall woman with blonde hair appeared beyond the gate.

"Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, I see you completed your mission_s_." Looking quizzically at the shy Yuri, who was now looking for a place to hide, the woman asked, "But who is this? Kakashi, are you sure you brought back the right person?"

Yuri didn't know what the woman was talking about, but the disrespect in her voice and the indication in Yuri's direction was enough to flame a meager wave of anger. "Oi! I don't know what you mean by that, but I'm a lot more than I look."

Kakashi sweat dropped. He hadn't told Yuri _everything_ about his mission. And she obviously had no idea she was talking disrespectfully to the most important person in the village. "Yuri-chan, " he said quietly. "That is Tsunade-sama, the 5th Hokage of our village. You should probably apologize, and quickly."

Yuri looked over at her sensei. "Tsunade-whata? Hokage who?"

Tsunade let out a laugh. "What a cheeky little girl. But really Kakashi, she can't be more than 10 years old. There's no way she could really be the martial artist we sent for--"

"AHEM." Tsunade looked over in the 'little girl's' direction. Yuri had her hands balled up into fists, and they hung limply at her side. "One shot. Let me hit you once, and I'll show you what Yuri Takahata can do."

Tsunade laughed out loud again. "You cheeky little girl. All right, hit me once. I won't move at all, I promise. Come on, I'll just stand here."

Yuri raised her right fist and brought it up close to her face. "You're gonna be so sorry you said that." She immediately began to charge at the Hokage, but, untrue to her word, the older woman vanished, appearing a few feet to Yuri's left.

Yuri didn't have to think before acting. She had known the Hokage would move, and instantly veered in her direction. The sudden change in direction put her a little off of her feet, but she regained balance just before her fist collided with the Hokage's chest.

Yuri's punch hit straight in the center of the older woman's chest, and Yuri grinned, pleased at her accuracy. For a moment nothing happened, and the taller lady stood there, not a hair out of place. She was about to open her mouth to goad, but before she could say anything coherently, the speed of Yuri's punch caught up with her.

Team 7 watched helplessly from the sidelines as Yuri's fist punched Tsunade in the chest. They chuckled when the hit didn't do anything, and then gasped, yelped, and were in complete awe when Tsunade went flying backwards in a perfect arch. Naruto immediately went to congratulate Yuri on her so called 'victory', but Sakura rushed off to make sure her secondary sensei wasn't hurt.

"Ne, ne, Yuri-chan! Where'd you learn to punch like that!?" Naruto asked, clenching his fists and bouncing on the soles of his feet, making him look like a little boy wanting to learn a lame secret. Actually, that's exactly what he wanted. Yuri only smirked and said, "I'm not a black-belt for nothin', ya know? Besides, I've done lots of strength training, to make up for my small size."

Tsunade walked back onto the road with a hand on her head. Rubbing her scalp, she felt a bump rising, and knew she would be having quite a few headaches for a few days. "Alright, " she said grudgingly. "I admit it, you're helluva lot stronger than I thought you'd be. But still. How could ten year old be that strong already?"

Sakura whispered in the Hokage's ear, and Yuri watched as the older woman's eyes grew large and round. "WHAT? You're 13?" she asked the ever vigilant Yuri. Yuri just stared defiantly back and the old hag and said, "I _told _you, I'm a lot more than I look." Just to add a little amusement, the littler blonde also added, "I'm sure you know that'd I'm a master at my local dojo, having been the youngest _lady_ to receive a black belt. I'm also talented in many other concepts; other than training and fighting, I lead a not so normal life."

Tsunade gasped, the punch had knocked most of the air out of her. "Damn, I knew you were talented, but I didn't think to look up much on you." Yuri nodded in agreement, and Kakashi interrupted whatever Tsunade was about to say next.

"Uh, hi. Can we just get inside and get to our apartments? My team's tired, as you should well know--" Kakashi sent Tsunade a glare- "and it'd be nice to recooperate before training tomorrow. Plus, Yuri-chan's still got to move into her apartment."

Yuri snorted quietly. "Not much to move, is there," she asked herself, glancing at the knapsack hanging dejectedly from her shoulders. A sudden thought caused Yuri to gasp. "Kakashi-sensei! Whatever happened to Benny-niichan?"

Kakashi looked dumbfounded for a bit, and then seemed to regain his senses. "Oh yeah, your friend. I guess he just up and disappeared." At Yuri's worried look, he added, "I'm sure you'll see him soon."

**Later, at Yuri's apartment:**

Yuri unlocked the door to her new apartment and opened the door unceremoniously. It was pretty plain, having a small sitting room with a tiny couch the same color as the walls, and a small wooden coffee table was perched in the middle of the floor. Yuri smiled, remembering the course she and her friend had taken a few years ago. 'The number 1 rule to remember when arranging furniture: Never stop or redirect the flow of traffic. Objects in the middle of the floor should be moved until they do not have to be avoided.'

Yuri opened a small door to the right of the door and found an empty closet. Supposedly for jackets and boots, but the bar across the ceiling was broken, and the floor of the closet was covered in mud from the previous owner's boots. Yuri closed the closet door and looked to the left of the door.

A few feet down was an entry-way Yuri supposed lead to the kitchen. Stopping to drop her bag on the couch, the curious girl walked into a tiny kitchen. It held barely more than a small table with two chairs, a stove, a fridge, a filthy looking microwave,a two-sided sink, and several hanging cabinets. Yuri opened one of the cabinets and was pleased to see several dinner-sized plates, but noted to wash them before using them.

The end of the kitchen also had an entry-way and Yuri left through that, and looked around to realize she was at a small hallway leading form the kitchen to the end of the living room. Walking across to the other side of the living room, Yuri opened a small window to let it air out. It was then that she noticed another door, only a little bigger than the closet door.

_Antoher closet? What the hell good would that do? And why is it so conspicuous? _Yuri opened the door and found herself looking down a staircase. _That's right! I'm on the bottom floor, maybe we get basements?_ Yuri peered down into the black void, and when she couldn't make anything out, she groped around on the walls on either side of her for a light switch.

When she found the lightswitch, Yuri flipped it and peered once again into the depths of her newfound basement. Yuri took a few hesitant steps down the stairs. What she saw in her basement was far from what she had thought it'd be.

When Yuri looked around her basement, the first thing she's noticed were the walls. Each one was a different color, and they were all bright colors; varying from lime green to paradise blue, and orange sun to a lavender type purple. Then she noticed that it was also furnished with a few red and black beanbags, and a mini bar, complete with a mini fridge and a small microwave. The basement also had a small couch up against the back wall, facing a tv stand that was housing a fairly large tv.

Yuri grinned. She now knew where she'd be spending most of her time when she wasn't training or otherwise. The young ninja hurried back up the steps, remembering to turn off the lights before closing the door. Wandering around, it wasn't long before she also found the door to her bedroom.

Yuri pulled the door open and glanced inside. It was pretty dull, a bed in one corner, a closet in another. A small dresser was standing beside the bed, and Yuri could see past a small door and into a small, cramped bathroom.

Walking back into the living room, Yuri sighed. She now had a place she could call her very own! The young blonde stretched, and jumped at a knock on the door. "Who is it, " she called meekly, she didn't want any visitors, especially since she had just gotten there.

"It's Kakashi. Don't worry, I won't stay long." Yuri opened the door and smiled, "Nah, I wasn't worried about that. Actually, I just got done taking a look around the place. I like it, it's really nice."

Kakashi beamed at his student. "I'm glad, actually. My old friend used to live here, I thought his taste would suit you finely!"

Yuri grinned back at her beaming sensei. "I take it he's the one who outfitted the basement in such fine colors?"

"You can bet on it. But, uh...he was a bit of a slob, for lack of better word. I'd say you have a bit of cleaning to do, if you look hard enough."

Yuri nodded, she had just been thinking the same thing. "Yeah, I know," she said, recalling how filthy the plates and microwave had been. "I'm good at inspecting places, and the first place I looked was the closet!" Kakashi seemed to know about the mud, and he laughed along with her. "Well, I just came to see how you were fitting in. Oh, but, before I leave, Sakura-chan wanted to know if you would go shopping with her around five-ish, she said she'd come pick you up."

Yuri looked doubful, but Kakashi just laughed at her expression and said, "Which translates into, 'You don't have a choice, I'm coming and getting you, even if I have to drag you all over the stores.'"

Yuri laughed with him and said, "Yeah, well, I have to go shopping anyway. I highly doubt any food there might be in that wretched kitchen is actually edible, and I'd also like to get some new clothes to fill up that empty closet."

Kakashi gave her a thumbs up sign. "That's the spirit! Well, I better go now..." and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Yuri walked over to the window she had opened earlier._ It actually has a pretty good view_, she noted to herself. _I thought only high places could have good views, but I was wrong, like usual. _

Yuri picked up her knapsack from the couch and took it to her room. Unclipping the clasp and releasing the knot, she turned the bag over and dumped what meager possessions she had with her onto the dusty bed. Her new book, two other outfits, her change purse, her black belt, and a small packaged snack fell out, rasing a fine dust into the air.

Yuri immediately changed into her favorite outfit, a yellow t-shirt with part of the back ripped out, that nicely showed the curves in her lower back. Plus, the rip didn't start so high that she couldn't wear a bra underneath it, which was always a bonus. The capris she put on were white, and they had little yellow flowers embroidered into the sides.

Yuri ran her fingers through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror hanging in the bathroom. Her normally bouncing, shiny hair seemed lank and lifeless as it hung down from her sculp.

Yuri rummaged through all of the bathroom and closet drawers until she found what she had een looking for, a small hairpin. Running back to the bathroom, she clipped her hair up on one side. The effect was immediate, and Yuri beamed at herself in the mirror.

Stomach rumbling, Yuri grabbed the snack off of her bed and ate it, savoring the sweet flavor. She held it in her hand as she walked out her bedroom door and down the tiny hallway into the kitchen. Throwing away the wrapper into a trash can at the end of the counter, Yuri looked around for a clock. There was a manual one hanging about the sink, and Yuri took a moment to read the time, and even longer to let the number sink in.

4:47! She only had about ten minutes before Sakura would come to collect her. Yuri ran back to her room to put away her clothes in a drawer of the dresser, and wrapped up her black belt, gazing fondly at it before tucking it in between a shirt and pair of pants.

Yuri grabbed her book while she was at it, dropping it on the coffee table on her way back to the kitchen to make it look like she had been reading the entire time. Re-entering the kitchen, Yuri opened all of the cupboards. After counting all of the dishes, she came up with 7 dinner plates, 7 smaller, dessert sized plates. 7 cups, 4 coffee mugs, and numerous juice and sake glasses. In a few of the cupboards surrounding the fridge, Yuri found cans and boxes of food, but only glanced at them to remember where they were. Closing the cabinets, she moved on to the drawers. Yuri dug through a drawer of everyday cutlery, fancy cutlery for special occasions, and a large drawer filled to the brim with cooking recipes.

Yuri was looking over a recipe for brownies when there was a knock at the door. The young girl yelped, quickly putting away the recipe and closing the drawer before hurrying off to open the door.

"Hey, Yuri-chan!" Sakura greeted her friend when the door was open. "Ready to go? I've been aching to go shopping for like, ever!" Yuri ran back to get her change purse and the two set off for the shopping district, Yuri making sure she locked her door before leaving.

--------

I'm sorry if I spent too much time descriing the house. Not much else happened besides that...besides Tsunade getting her ass kicked!


	5. Chapter 5

Teehee! 1:25 in the morning, and I know my gram'll boot me out soon! It just occured to me that I haved said this in a while, but I don't own Naruto. I had a nice dream I DID though. If only dreams came true...then Walt Disney would be all like, "Pshya! I was so totally right, man! Dreams DO come true! Hell yeah!"

Hey Walt, don't quit your day job.

----------

Yuri laughed along with her friend, Sakura. The two were still shopping, even though they had been out for a good two hours already. Sakura had shown Yuri some of the best clothes shops in Konoha, and they had taken time to pick out a few new outfits before Yuri brought up the matter of food.

"Ne, Sakura...is there a grocery store around here? I'm not sure the food in my kitchen is edible!"

Sakura laughed, "Yeah, I'll show you where I go grocery shopping they have really good food, and everything's cheap!"

Yuri sighed. That was good, she only had a little money left. She wouldn't buy much though, only enough to make breakfast and maybe lunch, and only until she sorted through what was already in the kitchen.

**Back at the apartment:**

"Thanks, Sakura," Yuri said to her tired friend. "I'm really glad you showed me where everything is, here in Konoha." Sakura nodded and shifted one of the bags in her hands. "I'll come to get you tomorrow, for training. Be ready by 6:30, because we have to meet Kakashi-sensei on the bridge by 7:00." Yuri nodded, and watched her pink-haired friend walk down the hallway and out the door.

Yuri dropped one of her bags so she could get her apartment key. Unlocking her door, she picked up the bag and walked into her newest home, making sure the lock clicked when she shut the door again.

Yuri dropped the bag with her clothes in it on the couch, and took the grocery bags into the kitchen. She took a moment to put the cold things into the fridge, and stacked the rest of the ingredients onto her counter. She'd find a place for them later, maybe tomorrow after her training.

Yuri went back through the living room to pick up her bag. Then she took everything to her bedroom and dropped them on top of her dresser. She was tired, so tired that she didn't she the figure standing inthe corner with his arms crossed, watching her as she climbed into the dusty bed.

Yuri woke up when she heard a _thump_ on the floor. "Who's there?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her misty eyes. Her only reply was to be tacked up against the wall by strong, pale hands. Yuri was frightened, of course, until she saw who it was.

"Benny-niichan? What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"

The man hissed at her. "_Dumbass_. You're the one who left the living room window open." Yuri's eyes widened, and she instantly reverted to her little girl self. "Let me go!" she cried, wriggling under Benny's grasp. "What the hell? _Let. Me. Go!_"

Benny only held her tighter, and she watched as he adjusted his weight over the bed. By now, the circulation in Yuri's wrists was beginning to stop, and her hands were beginning to feel numb. "Benny, " she whimpered. "Let me go. I can't feel my hands. _Please...please..."_

Benny let go a little, and Yuri sighed as pins and needles erupted over her hands. "Why?" she asked, her face dipped down so he couldn't see it.

"I still blame you. For _it._"

Yuri gasped. "How could you? I thought we agreed I did my best! That there was nothing else I could have done to help him!"

"Well then I was lying. Or maybe I did believe it for a little while, and my mind started to blame you more and more." Benny was silent for a bit, then he shouted, "Admit it! You know you're the reason he died! You ran away, leaving him there! You're the reason he isn't still alive!"

Yuri felt a tear slide down her cheek. A part of her wanted to believe him, wanted to tell him he was right, that she w_as _the reason her only brother was dead. But the reasonable voice inside her said, 'You were trying to find someone to help him! You didn't know how to swim! If you'd gone in there to save him, you'd have died too, and the Grandpa would have been REALLY devastated!'

"No," Yuri whispered. "No, I wasn't the reason he died. The reason he died was because that guy pushed him over the fence. Over the fence...into the water...wasn't my fault..."

Benny was now sobbing, but he was still holding Yuri tightly by the wrists. "Damnit, Yuri! It is _your fault_! You took so long to find me, so long to tell me."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I couldn't find you, and I was crying; every street was empty, I couldn't find anyone else to help me. I didn't think to go bang on the doors to get people's attention! I wasn't thinking, I was only crying."

Benny was now lowering his arms, and he engulfed the littler girl in a crushing hug. The two cried together on the bed for a long time, until Benny pulled away. "I still blame you," he said softly.

"And I'll probably always blame myself. I made a big mistake that day, and I'll never get it off my chest. But, Benny-niichan?"

Benny couldn't help but smile. This girl was amazing. Nobody could hold a grudge against her for more than and hour, most likely. "Yes, Yuri-chan?"

"For your revenge...what was it you were planning to do?"

Benny sighed, he hadn't really thought about it too hard. "I don't know, I think getting all of my anger out helped me calm down. Maybe I just wanted to tell you how I felt about you, and how useless you were that day."

Yuri nodded. "I know, it really was dramatic, you can't blame me for panicking. I had no idea that punk kid was going to throw him over the fence, and I was terrified when he hit his head on the cliff and couldn't swim."

"Ne, Yuri-chan. Did they ever find the kid who did it?"

Yuri made a face. "No, but I kinda remember what he looked like."

"Really? Could you tell me?"

Yuri thought back to the fateful day. "Well, he was a lot more muscular than nii-chan, if it gives you an idea of his body structure. He had short, spiky black hair, but it wasn't dark black, like yours. It was almost like a dull black, or maybe it was really, really dark brown. It was hard to tell, cause he had bandages covering the bottom of his face, like a mask. I don't really remember what his eyes looked like, but he carried a nicely sized sword, and I think nii-chan might've called him Za...Zabu...Zabu-something-or-other. Anyway, he had a friend, it looked like a little girl, but I know the person's name was Haku, because I thought the punk was takling about my brother, but was addressing the little girl or boy."

Benny nodded, "Yeah, I have a feeling I know I've seen those two before. I believe their names were Zabuza and Haku, although I've never really talked with them. They're a nasty combination."

"Are you going to find them?" Yuri asked. "Find them, and seek revenge?"

Benny let out a long sigh. "I suppose, if they're the ones who killed Kohaku, I should pay them a visit, ne?"

Yuri giggled. "Make sure you give them my greetings from Hell." Benny raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you mean the...oh, no way. I can't even do the first part, much less finish that damned move."

"Aww...you're just no good at taijutsu and martial arts. Which, if you count the fact that you're not a ninja and can't do any ninjutsu, makes you just about worthless when it comes to fighting."

Benny stuck out his tongue. _How childish_, Yuri thought. "Um, can you leave now," she asked. "I have training tomorrow, and I want to get some sleep." Benny nodded and ruffled Yuri's shoulderlength hair. "Alright, sweet dreams, baby sister." Benny gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and then left the bedroom. Yuri listened closely and heard the sound of a window slamming shut.

Yuri got out of bed and slipped into the living room. She stood at the window and looked out it just in time to see Benny run down a road in the direction of the gates. "Goodbye..." she whispered to no one in patricular.

**6:00 the next morning:**

Yuri groaned. Her internal alarm clock had woken her up from her deep slumber. Her dream had been more of a hectic nightmare, revolving around the day she and Benny had discussed the previous night.

Yuri forced herself up to get ready for training. She located a towel and took a quick shower, using a small bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap to wash up. When she dried off and got dressed in her mission outfit, she walked back into the bathroom and picked through her smooth, wet hair with her shaking fingers.

When she reached up to pull her still damp hair into a low ponytail, Yuri noticed a mark on her wrist from Benny and his killer grip. Yuri grit her teeth and pulled her hair through the band, and glanced at her other wrist. It too had a few marks. There wasn't much Yuri could do about, though, so she decided to hold her hands behind her back whenever possible.

Yuri groped around in the kitchen until she found one of the nice, red apples she had bought the other day. Washing it in cold water, she dried it on her shirt and took a big bite. It was sweet and juicy, and a tiny bit of apple juice dribbled out of her mouth. She wiped off the apple juice and took another bite. Glancing at the clock over the sink, Yuri noted the time. She must have stayed in the shower too long, because it was already 6:36. Sakura would be at the apartment in around 20 minutes.

Yuri finished off the apple quickly, then ran to brush her teeth. She was sitting on the couch to rest when the door bell rang. Yuri jumped up to answer it and was greeted by an enthusiastic looking Sakura-chan.

"Hello Yuri! Did you get a good sleep? Ready for training?"

Yuri muttered something about a late night visitor, and then asked, "Ne, Sakura-chan. Anything I need for training that I wouldn't normally bring?" Sakura nodded no, and the two set off, after Yuri locked her door (and took extra time to lock the windows, too).

Yuri walked with her hands clasped behind her back, like she promised herself she would, and Sakura chatted happily without noticing the look on Yuri's face. Sakura didn't, but by the time they got to the bridge, Naruto and Sasuke were already there. The first thing Naruto said to Yuri was, "Yuri-chan, is something wrong. You have a weird look on your face."

Yuri looked up from the ground. "Ah, nothing," she replied. The young girl almost waved him away to get him away from her face, but she remembered her wrists and refrained from taking any action.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke suddenly appeared behind Yuri and she yelped, quickly stuffing her hands as far into her pockets as the pockets would allow. "What's the matter?" Sasuke smirked, delighted at the smaller girl's reaction. "Do you not like it when I get this close?" Sasuke wrapped his arms around the mortified girl. Sakura and Naruto just watched, kinda in shock that _the _Sasuke was putting his arms around a girl he hadn't known very long.

Yuri stiffened, and drew herself up to her full height (which was really only about as high as Sasuke's shoulder, maybe his chin). "No, I don't," she said, trying to shrug him off without taking her hands out of her pockets.

Yuri had to suppress the urge to bite the Uchiha as he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck. Every nerve in her hands wanted to slap him, but she had to keep her wrists in hiding. "Get off me, you perv," she told the clinging Uchiha.

"No, you can't make me" his muffled came from her neck. "And I'm not a perv."

Everyone, even Sasuke looked up when Kakashi popped into position on the bridge. The silver-haired sensei took in the scene before him: Sakura and Naruto looking in the direction of Sasuke and Yuri. Sasuke had his arms tightly around Yuri, and his face was close to her neck, even though she was the shorter one. Yuri looked a bit pissed off, but stood there with her hands stuck in her pockets, as though she honestly didn't care about Sasuke's lecherous actions.

"Kakashi-sensei," Yuri said, relieved her teacher had finally arrived. Yuri smirked when she felt Sasuke retreat from her back, his arms sliding under hers. "I'm glad you got here, even though you're late.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted his students. "Sorry, you're right, I'm late, but there was a cute little squirrel in front of a cart and--"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto sighed. "Just get on to telling us what's for training today."

Kakashi rubbed his head and held out his other hand. In it were 3 bells. "You guys remember the bell training we did before, remember?" Kakashi was obviously addressing the other three, so Yuri listenened intently. Turning to Yuri, Kakashi explained, "We're going to a training ground, and I'll explain the rules there." Yuri nodded, and everyone set off in the direction of the third training grounds.

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Sorry it's short, but it had important events in it, I promise the next few chapters will be better!


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Naruto, but I'm running out of witty remarks, so, here goes...

Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Naruto, and neither do you!

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Yuri was still hiding her wrists in her pockets. "So..." she said. "We have to try to get a bell from you, but one person'll fail, right? That's why those logs are over there, to tie up the loser. And the 'winners' will have to eat lunch in front of the loser, right?" Kakashi nodded. "These three have already done this before, so we're going to do it a bit differently this time. We're going to go one-on-one, and Yuri-chan. You're first."

Yuri sighed. "Of course I'm first," she mumbled.

"Ah, wait, I forgot to give you something." Yuri looked at her sensei expectantly as he pulled out a pouch identical to the ones the other ninja had strapped to their legs. He threw it to Yuri and she caught it, looking inside before strapping it to her right leg, within easy reach of her right arm (a.k.a., her throwing arm, and the stronger arm of the two).

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stayed a fair distance back to give the two room to fight. Yuri backed up quite a distance before she finally took her hands out of her pockets and got into a ready stance. "I'll let you start," she shouted to her sensei, who decided to wait and test the girl's strength and skill before taking out _Itcha Itcha Paradise_.

Kakashi sighed, 'It's not like you'd have a choice in battle', he scolded her in his mind. Kakashi closed his eyes and thought of a move he could use in long range, but before he came up with anything he felt a thump on his chest. Opening his eyes, he looked down to see a grinning Yuri standing before him, her fist still in contact with his chest.

Kakashi knew what was coming, but he still wasn't prepared for the rush that came as the full force of Yuri's force came and hit him head on. Kakashi's weight and Yuri's injured wrists showed when he didn't fly nearly as high as when Tsunade had gotten hit, but the punch still put a bit of distance between the two.

Yuri touched her wrists, they were in a dull, pounding pain. Yuri watched with one eye as her sensei got up and laughed. "Geez Yuri, I thought you said _I_ could go first." Yuri grit her teeth, rubbing her wrists, and replied, "Well then, guess I lied, ne?" Kakashi took a step forward, and then suddenly poofed.

Yuri immediately knew her sensei was behind her. Rustling aorund in her pouch for a kunai, she spun around in tie to parry an attack from Kakashi's kunai. Yuri's left hand had nothing to do, so she balled it into a fist and punched an awkward, underhand punch aimed for the bottom of Kakashi's chin. Yuri's punch was intercepted, however, when Kakashi's left hand knocked it away.

Yuri pushed against Kakashi and gained enough momentum to fly back a few feet and immediately rushed back in to attack again. Yuri couldn't get a hit on Kakashi, however, because she had never been trained with a kunai before. She held it tightly in her hand like a knife, and twisted it around to block the attacks coming from Kakashi's kunai.

Yuri jumped back again and yelped when Kakashi poofed and appeared right behind her again, this time with the kunai at her throat. Yuri pulled a dirty move, elbowing Kakashi hard in the ribs so he doubled over for a second, long enough for Yuri to escape from the kunai. When Kakashi stood up, he saw Yuri rushing at him to attack again and not only parried her attack from the kunai, but also grabbed her left wrist, so that he had minimum control over her arm.

Yuri gasped when her sensei grabbed her wrist, the pain flared when he held it tightly, and Yuri found it hard to get her breath. She closed her eyes even though it would be stupid to do so in such a predicament. Her left arm shook in the grasp of her sensei. Yuri tried her hardest to get her breathing under check, but she smiled to herself when she thought 'How the hell is an injury to my wrist related to my lungs and the way I breathe?'

Kakashi saw Yuri flinched and gasp when he grabbed her left wrist. He watched as she was obviously trying to recatch lost breathe. Turning the kunoichi's wrist over, he saw the dark purple and red marks he had grabbed so tightly, and he instantly knocked the kunai out of her right hand. He inspected that wrist also and found the marks on it too.

Kakashi pushed Yuri down onto the ground. Yuri had no idea what was happening, she was dizzy, but she knew Kakashi had let go of her wrists, because the pain was subsiding. Yuri watched dumbfounded as Kakashi beckoned for Sakura to come over, and then she saw him looking worriedly at her wrists, and the blonde could put two and two together.

"No way! I'm fine!" she said as Sakura rushed over from the other side of the training grounds. Sakura grabbed onto Yuri's left arm and tried to look at it, but Yuri was sitting on her hands in an attempt to make the young ninja go away. Kakashi leaned over to look into Yuri's face. "Those marks are bad, you need to let Sakura look at them to make sure they haven't bruised bone."

"NO!" Yuri yelled, attracting the attention of the two younger male ninja, who jogged over to see what was going on. "They're fine, I promise! You don't have to look at them, they're just bruises, really!"

Sakura shook her head, "If they're really what you say they are, you wouldn't mind showing them to me, now would you?" Kakashi grimaced, this was definitely the downfall of having a stubborn student. Making a sudden movement, he appeared on the other side of Yuri and picked her up by her underarms, giving her no place to hide her wrists.

Yuri hissed at Kakashi and thought about slapping him to let her go, but that would be 'disrespectful', and Yuri didn't want to get punished. The girl sighed and wriggled out of Kakashi's arms. Kakashi went to pick her up again when she landed on her feet, but stopped when the blonde offered out her left hand. Sakura nodded and gently took the hand in her own, turning it over a few times to get a good look it. Then she reached for the right hand and did the same.

"Um, ano, Yuri-chan, was someone holding onto your wrists lately?" Sakura asked, looking at the mark again and again. Yuri paled, but said, "No, not that I think of."

Sakura looked up, concern filling her green eyes. "Are you sure, because I highly doubt you would inflict this kind of damage to yourself on purpous."

Yuri coughed, "Why do you think a person did this to me?" Sakura traced a finger of the mark, being sure to show Kakashi too. "Because the mark is almost in the shape of a handprint. There are parts that are fainter than others, which shows that the person was applying force on a certain part of their hand more than on another certain part. Also," she added, glancing at Yuri's panic stricken face, "The hand that made these marks belongs to a teen, or early twenties, because their palm print isn't all that much bigger than mine. It's pretty much in one place; apparently you weren't struggling too much," Sakura gave Yuri another look, "so the print wasn't 'smudged'."

Yuri gave a weak little laugh to calm her senses. "You can tell all that just from looking at it?" she asked, taking her hand from Sakura's grasp. Sakura nodded, and Yuri let loose another giggle. "Yeah, well, you were pretty close on," Yuri admitted. The looks on Sakura and Kakashi's faces told Yuri they wanted to know what had happened, but Yuri just waved them away. "Nope, I'm not telling you. It was..."Yuri thought of a word that could describe her encounter with Benny "It was kinda...a secret. I mean, I can't tell anyone, okay?"

It was obviously NOT ok for the two ninja, but they put on grim faces and nodded. Yuri looked up at Kakashi and asked, "But now what are we supposed to do? I mean, I nearly passed out when you grabbed my wrist, so how are we going to train?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, but shook his head. "We'll just wait for the bruises to heal up first, and then I'll teach you a few ninjutsu techniques. For now, you should probably get some bandages on them - your wrists, I mean - and practice something that doesn't involve your hands, like kicking and stuff."

_Kicking? What the fuck is he thinking_? "Right," the reluctant Yuri mumbled. "Ne, Sakura-chan. Is there any way you can speed the healing?" Sakura shook her head no. "But," she stated, "the Hokage-sama knows how to heal stuff like this. Maybe she can help?" Yuri didn't want to see that crazy old lady, but she nodded meekly; training first, emotions second.

Kakashi stood up and ruffled his hair. "Well then, Sakura-chan, would you like to escort Yuri-chan to the Hokage's office?" Yuri started to complain, saying she didn't need an escort, but Sakura dragged her by the arm off of the training grounds and out of sight before the small girl could finish her sentence. Kakashi smiled, _What an odd team we have, ne?_

**At the Hokage's office:**

Yuri rubbed her wrists. They hurt a lot more than they had earlier, but Tsunade reassured her that the pain was supposed to be that extreme. "It's a sign that the medicine is working!" she said with a smile. Yuri inspected the marks Benny had left her.

"Oh, and the mark'll stay there for a while, most likely a month or possibly even two, but then it'll be like it had never even been there!" the Hokage ended cheerfully!

"Hm?" Yuri asked, dazed by the long lecture she had gotten. "Oh, right. Well, that's ok, it can stay there for all I care."

Tsunade took a good look at the martial artist she had requested from the Land of Waves. She had expected to get someone professional, with good manners and a strong body structure. What she got was a disrespectful little girl (oh, right, she's 13), well, teenager then, who couldn't care less about her body's health, and who had already hurt herself after staying one night in her new apartment. _Well, like she told me earlier, she's a lot more than she looks. Plus, she trying desperately to hide the reason of how she got hurt this badly from me. She's got a lot of secrets, she does, and I'd like to find out a few of them._

"Well then," Tsunade said in a cheerful voice. "If that's all, you can go now, just made sure to take it easy on your wrists the next few days, and come back in a week or two so I can check on them." Yuri nodded her thanks and left, followed closely by Sakura, who also said thank you.

"Now what?" Yuri asked when they walked out of the Hokage's office, down the tower stairs and into the bright sunlight.

Sakura shaded her eyes from the glaring sun and said, "I dunno. I suppose, oh hey! There's Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura pointed in the direction they were facing, and sure enough Kakashi was walking towards them with one hand in his pocket and one with _Itcha Itcha Paradise _occupying it's space.

"Hello girls. Yuri-chan, did you get your wrists checked out?"

"Yes, yes," Yuri said impatiently. "But sensei, what are we supposed to do with the rest of the day?"

Kakashi closed his book and looked at his littlest student. _She reminds me of another certain blonde in our group,_ he thought. "Well, I already sent Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun home, so I suppose you guys can do whatever you want for the rest of the day. Knowing Tsunade-sama, she'll probably give us a D-rank mission tomorrow, to show you what it's like." Yuri nodded, that made sense.

"Alright, if that's the case, I'm going back to my apartment to sort things out in my kitchen." Yuri headed in the direction of her apartment, she knew where it was because the had passed it on the way to the Hokage's tower. Sakura and Kakashi made no attempt to stop her, and so Yuri spent the rest of the day in her apartment memorizing where everything was.

Yuri was pleased to find she had a lot of edible food already in her pantry. After checking the expiration dates on everything, she had only thrown out one thing: a jar she had dropped while taking it out of the cabinet. Making a mental list of everything, she figured she didn't need to go grocery shopping for another few weeks.

Bored, Yuri put everything back into the cabinets and wandered downstairs. It took her less time to find the lightswitch this time, and she walked down the stairs in an attempt to find something to do. Stopping by the tv stand, she pulled the doors back and was pleased to find a selection of dvds and a tiny dvd player. _Maybe I can have a party one day, once I have everything cleaned up and everything._

Yuri took a good look at the dvds. Most of them were horrow films, or adventure films. The occupant had obviously been a guy, or at least a tomboy. Yuri randomly picked out a dvd. It was 'Darkness Falls'. After reading the description Yuri laughed, _What the hell! They made a horror movie about the tooth faerie! Have they really run out of ideas that badly?_

Still, Yuri had suppress a bit of fear as she looked down onto a few of the pictures they had circling the summary. _Definitely a movie to watch with friends, though._ Yuri put the movie back and closed the tv stand doors, leaving the basement after switching off the light. Sighing, she thought _There's really nothing to do around here, is there? _

Yuri saw her book on the coffee table and attempting reading, but she soon realized she had tried to read the same line ten times, so she put her book down and stretched. _Might as well make up for the lack of sleep I had last night._ Yuri headed off towards the bedroom, but even after crawling under the sheets she couldn't fall asleep. _I'm so restless...but there's nothing to do. I'm restless, but I'm so lazy. I can't go shopping, I don't have any money. I don't know where anyone lives, so I can't go and visit or ask them to train with me._Yuri kept listing things in her head until she finally dozed off into a light sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I can't decide whether I want Yuri to have a party and invite friends over or not. I was actually sort of thinking of doing a high school series, just to get away from this one for a while, along with a one-shot about Yuri baby-sitting a little kid. Although, the baby-sitting one might be a bit boring. I'll try it, but don't expect me to post it if I'm not motivated to write it.

I don't own Naruto. Actually it's more of a 'can't', but still.

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Yuri woke up from her nap when a knock sounded on her front door. She hurried to open the door, not bothering to look out the windows, or at the time. Yuri finally got to the door on the third knock, and there was Sakura, dressed up in a smart looking halter top and a pair of skin-tight jeans that said 'BR-AT' on the back pockets.

"Yuri! Guess what, the Sand Shinobi are in town, and Naruto's holding a party, cause he's really good friends with one of the members of the team."

Yuri rubbed her eyes and happened to glance out the living room window. "Uh, ano, Sakura-chan? What time's it?"

Sakura shrugged, "Probably around nine or so at night. Come on, hurry up and get dressed. Oh, and brush your hair, you look like you just got out of bed!"

"I did," Yuri mumbled. Suddenly she stopped. "Hey, wait! Why do I have to go to a stupid party?"

"Because, I'm making you. All of the other Konoha teams are coming, or so I've heard, so that means that you have to come too."

Yuri's want to meet the other ninja in overpowered her laziness, and she perked up. "Alright, but you have to help me pick out an outfit. I have that new one, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

Sakura fussed over Yuri for about 10 minutes, after which the smaller konoichi was fully ready to go. Wearing a red net undershirt paired with a skin-tight tanktop, black capris with red flames along the bottom, and the bandages aorund her wrists, Yuri pulled her hair back and shook her fingers through it, which really enhanced the whole layed look. Yuri strapped on her shoes and was ready to go out the door when Yuri suddenly asked, "Ne, Sakura-chan. Does Naruto-kun have a dvd player?" Sakura nodded, and Yuri ran down her stairs quickly and came up again, holding a dvd in her hand.

"I found it while searching the house," she grinned to the quizzical Sakura. "It's a horror movie, figured it'd be fun to watch later tonight." Yuri tucked the dvd under her arm and she and Sakura left to Naruto's house.

**At Naruto's house:**

Sakura and Yuri didn't have to wait long when they knocked on Naruto's door. It immediately opened, and the blonde ninja himself invited them in. Closing the door behind htem, he oggled a bit at their bodies before he laughed and told them how great they looked. It wasn't too long before Sakura saw a friend she knew, because she left to say hello, leaving Yuri alone with Naruto by the door.

"Um, Naruto-kun," Yuri said sweetly, offering out the dvd she had brought with her. "I found this at my apartment and thought it'd be fun to watch later tonight." Naruto thanked her and read the description. The look on his face clearly showed her he was thinking the same thoughts she had been thinking when she had first seen the dvd, but he brightened when he looked up and said, "That's a great idea, Yuri-chan! That's so great of you!" Naruto grabbed the girl into a big hug, causing her to blush madly.

"It's not that great..." she muttered. "Um, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah Yuri-chan?"

"I don't know anybody here." The way she said it must have sounded funny to Naruto, because he laughed really hard. "How about if I find Sasuke for you, and he can introduce you to everybody." Yuri nodded her consent, and Naruto slipped through the crowd to seek out his target.

The doorbell rang twice, and Yuri answered it, giving brief smiles to the guests, and explaining that Naruto was off looking for someone, and that they could make themselves at home. She had just closed the door when someone tapped her shoulder. It was Naruto, and Sasuke was standing behind him.

Yuri went off with Sasuke, and Naruto stayed at the door to greet the few guests that were left. The first thing Sasuke did was bring Yuri over to a large group of boys.

"Alright, guys, this is own new team member, the one I've been telling you about. Everyone, this is Yuri-chan. She's from the Land of Waves, if you can't remember." Yuri blushed and waved to the guys, who were staring at her. "Um, hello," she said, a bit of her cute, innocent self leaking out.

"How old are you?" a tall guy with black hair in a spiky ponytail asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she assured him. He seemed persistent, however, because he asked again. "No, I'm sure I'd believe you."

"Alright," she sighed. "I just turned 13 a few months ago." A few mutters went around the small circle, and then the guy with the spiky ponytail laughed. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Yuri-chan," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "You believe me?" she asked, shaking it in her firm grip.

"Of course," a guy wearing a high collar and sunglasses said. "Why would you make up a lie about your age?"

"You've got me," Yuri admitted. Sasuke interrupted by saying, "By the way, that's Shino," he said, pointing to the collared guy. "And that's Shikamaru," pointing to the spiky ponytail. Sasuke went around the circle in order, and Yuri met Shino, Rock Lee, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, and Neji.

Yuri was pleased when she could go around the circle and recite everyone's names. "By the way, I brought a scary movie from my apartment, and I was wondering if anyone's seen it."

Sasuke frowned. "Where'd you get a scary movie?" Yuri just shrugged, "I found it in the basement. There's a bunch of dvds, a tv, and a dvd player. I just grabbed a random dvd that looked scary and ran back upstairs to Sakura-chan." It wasn't entirely true, but they didn't need to know details.

"Do you remember what it was called?" Shikamaru asked. Yuri nodded, ad put a finger on her chin to help her remember. "Uhm, it was something like darkness...Darkness Falls, I think. No, maybe...I think that was it. Yeah, Darkness Falls." Giggling, she added, "It's about the tooth faerie!"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, I saw that movie once. I was a little kid though, and it freaked me out so much I walked out of the room and let my parents watch it alone." Yuri was in awe, "It's that scary?" she asked, huddling just a tad bit closer to Sasuke, who smirked and pulled his arm tighter around her shoulders.

"It's okay," Sasuke whispered in her ear. "You can sit by me, and squeeze my hand if it gets too scary." Yuri thought about it, Sasuke may be a bit, uh, _odd_, but if it helped get her through the movie...

"You stupid pervert, you just want to get close to her so you can kiss her or molest her or something." a voice from behind Yuri spoke up.

Sasuke grimaced and turned. "Yuri, I forgot to introduce you to one other guy. His name's Gaara. Gaara of the Desert."

Yuri recognized that name. Where had she heard it before? Yuri turned to see Gaara, and she was met by a tall, well built man. He had blood red hair, and a kanji tattoo on his left forehead read 'love'. His arms were crossed, and he looked at her with sea-foam green eyes rimmed in a thick line of black.

"Hello Gaara," she greeted the stranger pleasantly. He seemed to ignore he completely, as his gaze was upon Sasuke. Yuri looked up at Sasuke, who was also glaring daggers at the red-head. Suddenly Yuri remembered where she had heard Gaara's name before.

Yuri pulled on Sasuke's sleeve, forcing him to look at her. "Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun. Isn't Gaara the guy you said could kick my ass even harder than you could? like, ten times harder or something?" Sasuke turned a deep red, and the guys behind the two broke out into laughter, causing a lot of the other guests to look at them. Even Gaara put on a smirk, that could just about be described as a smile.

Sasuke mumbled something about the bathroom and left Yuri with all the other guys. Once he was gone, Shikamaru called out to Yuri, "Hey, Yuri! Did he REALLY say that?" Yuri grinned, "Yeah, pretty much. Although, I think I added a bit of glamour to it, and you guys did a greap number by laughing on cue!"

Kiba broke out of the circle and walked up to Yuri. He put an arm around her shoulders and shook her. "You're somethin'," he said. Yuri was getting a little dizzy, so she asked, "Yeah, yeah, people've told me that. So why the hell do you have to shake me so much?"

Kiba was getting really excited. "Not only can she embarass the Uchiha bastard, she had a potty mouth too! This girl is a wonder!" Yuri pushed Kiba's arms away before he could shake her again, but the enthusiastic ninja accidentally hit her on the wrist. Yuri winced and backed away, rubbing the area he had hit vigorously, as though it would wipe the pain away. Kiba noticed this and he immediately calmed down. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, glancing from her wrists to her face.

"Yuri nodded, and slowed the rubbing on her wrists. The pain! It hurt a lot, and she was tempted to cry, in fact, she was on the verge of crying. Kiba noticed this, and he walked closer, putting his arm around her shoulder again, this time out of comfort. "I have a feeling those bandages aren't just for show," he said, and she shook her head no. She felt that if she opened her mouth, her tear ducts would open.

Shikamaru walked over to the two and crouched down so that he was peering into the young girl's face. Gaara watched as he lifted her quivering chin, and wiped away an almost non-existant tear. Soon other members of the group went over and tried to comfort Yuri, until she was smiling and laughing again. And just in time, too.

Naruto came flying around the corner of his hallway into the room Yuri's group was gathered in. He raised his eyebrows as to why everyone was gathered around her like that, but he dismissed the thought and announced, "We're going to put in the movie now, you'd better get a good set while they're open!" Yuri yelped and raced with Naruto into the tv room, where several other guests were already sitting and watching the previews for the movies.

Yuri was looking for a place to sit when Kiba and Shikamaru came up behind her, each taking and arm and leading her over to a single beanbag, right in front of the tv. They plopped down, soon followed by Yuri, who couldn't understand why they had dragged her onto their laps. With one leg crossed over Kiba's and one over Shikamaru's, the trio watched the movie in relative comfort. Yuri and a few others girls yelped at the scariest parts, and Kiba and Shikamaru took turns in turning Yuri's head away so she didn't have to watch the scenes.

Yuri actually looked around the room once during a scary part she was trying to block out. She could make out a few faces, Sakura was sitting on a couch next to Naruto. Swiveling her head the other way, she caught the eyes of Neji and Rock Lee. Lee gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled, but Yuri had made the mistake of looking at the tv at the wrong time, and had instantly ducked her head down to bury it in Shiakamaru's arm.

Shikamaru watched the scene, but when he felt Yuri nuzzle his arm, he looked down at her with a smile. _Geez, Kiba was right, this girl's somthin'. It's so hard to call her troublsome, when she looks so cute._

Yuri tried to watcht the movie, but sometimes the suspense would get too much, and she would look down to the bandages around her wrists. She caught a few people looking at her, and she gave each a smile. It helped her to get away from the true darkness the movie was emanating. Yuri looked at the lights and just realized how dark it really was in the room.

Kiba could feel it in his leg whenever Yuri skwirmed(sp?), or when she shook from a particularly scary moment. He saw her look aorund the room, and caught her smile when she noticed someone glanced at her. _She's so odd...I wonder if she'd like Aakamaru? Maybe I should introduce them some time._

Yuri and several of the other girls sighed when the movie ended. "You were right," she whispered into Shikamaaru's ear. "That really _was_ scary." Shikamaru grinned and blushed, "Yeah, but it wasn't so bad this time," He almost added 'Since you were sitting near me,' but he didn't want to sound corny.

Naruto was the first to jump up and stretch, and soon others followed suit. A line for the bathroom formed, and others went into the kitchen to get drinks or small snacks. Yuri wobbled to her legs, the way she had been sitting had cut off a bit of her circulation, and she was rubbing her thighs to get the feeling back in them. Shiakamaru and Kiba stood once Yuri was up, and they laughed together. "You were so scared through that movie!" Kiba laughed. "I could practically feel you trembling every other five minutes!"

Yuri looked a little cross, "At least I wasn't the only one, there were plenty of other people out there who were freaking out."

Shikamaru pulled his arms over his head and stretched them. "Don't pick on her too much, Kiba. I have a feeling that if she gets pissed, you'll be the one to pay." Yuri grinned and cracked her knuckles, but Kiba seemed unphased. He was even bold enough to pick up Yuri and set her on his shoulder. "Can't reach me now, can you?"

Yuri suppressed the urge to yelp again, but she grinned down at him and said "Wrong, dumbass." Yuri punched Kiba in the head, and said, "You know, I'd punch you harder, but it's scary up here."

Kiba rubbed his head with the hand that wasn't holding Yuri on his shoulder. "Ouch, I'm glad you're not hitting me harder. Even_ that _tiny punch hurt." Yuri tried to slip down off of his shoulder, but Kiba was holding on tight. "Lemme go!" Yuri said, trying not to get other people's attention.

Shikamaru watched as Yuri punched Kiba in the head, then attempted to get down from his shoulder. _Of course, Kiba just _has _to tease the new girl. Should I stop them? Nah, Yuri-chan's smiling, maybe she enjoys the attention he's giving her._Shikamaru walked up to Kiba and told him, "Like I said, if she gets pissed, you're the one who's gonna feel the pain."

Kiba looked up to Yuri, who looked at Shikamaru, then Kiba, then Shikamaru again. Kiba was about to lift Yuri off his shoulder when naruto came running into the room again. "Hey everybody, let's watch another--Kiba? Whatcha doing with Yuri?"

Everybody in the room looked to Kiba, who still had Yuri sitting on his shoulder. Yuri was a bit embarassed, so she punched Kiba on the head again and said, loud enough so that everyone could hear, "Put me down. Dumby." The whole room was silent as Kiba let go of Yuri, and she slid down. Yuri brushed her shirt off and looked at Naruto. "What was it you were going to say, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Oh, yeah. I was gonna ask if you guys wanted to watch another movie." Cheers broke out, and so did a smile on Naruto's face. "Alright, but, uh. Who should choose the movie?" Everyone immediately looked at Yuri, and she looked back. "What? Oh, me?" The crowd nodded, and Yuri blushed.

Naruto grabbed Yuri's hand and took her over to a case with dvds on it. "Just pick one out, we can vote on whether to watch it or not." Yuri looked a little doubtful. "Well, what does everyone want to watch?" she asked, looking mainly in the direction of Shikamaru and Kiba. Cries of "Scary movie!" and "Another scary one," broke out, even though most of everyone had freaked out during the previous movie. Yuri nodded and bent down to look at Naruto's selection of movies.

"How about this one?" Yuri said, pulling of a movie called 'Ghost Ship'. She handed it to Naruto, who nodded his consent and passed the movie around to see if there were any objections.

"Um, Naruto," Neji said once to movie got to him. "This movie has a lot of blood in it," he noted.

"Yeah, so?"

Neji looked at the girl across the room from him, the one Yuri thought had the same eyes. _They must be brother and sister,_ Yuri thought. Neji continued, "Well, Hinata doesn't exactly like hte sight of blood." The girl blushed and nodded. Naruto looked at the girl, and then back to Neji. "I've seen the movie plenty of times before." Turning to Hinata, he said, "I know when the scenes with blood are, so I can squeeze your hand, and then you can look away. Is that ok?"

Yuri thought of how Sasuke had offered her more-or-less the same thing. HInata didn't appear to even think about it, though. She immediately nodded, and Naruto grinned at her. "Alright everyone, back to you seats, I'm going to put the movie in."

Yuri turned and saw Kiba and Shikamaru already sitting on the beanbag. She skipped over to them, and lowered herself back onto their laps. "It's cold in here," she noted, getting amused looks from her friends' faces. "What?" she asked, shrugging off their looks. "I'm just stating the truth."

She was surprised, however, when Kiba and Shikamaru leaned closer, and when they eached draped an arm over her. "We'll keep you warm," Kiba whispered into her ear. Yuri blushed, and was glad the lights flickered off at the time they did, because she could feel the blush spread over her cheeks and to her ears. Snuggling closer into her friends, she whispered back, "Thanks."

Shikamaru and Kiba loked at each other over the smaller girl's head. They smirked, this was going to get interesting.

Yuri tried to focus on the movie. Right off the bat a terrible scene appeared, and Yuri glanced in Hinata's direction. She and Naruto were holding hands, and Hinata had her eyes closed, her head resting on Naruto's shoulder. Yuri smiled, glad Naruto was doing his job well. Yuri looked back to the movie. She tried to focus on the voices, but she couldn't help but look around. Kiba and Shikamaru were watching the movie intently. _How can they sit so still? _she asked herself. _Maybe I'm just uncomfortable, being stuck on their laps._

Yuri fidgeted, leaning her head back so far she could see the wall behind her. Sea-foam green eyes rimmed in black stared back at her. It was Gaara of the Sand. Yuri smiled at Gaara, but she didn't know if he could see it or now because of the lack of light. Yuri leaned back up so she was looking at the tv screen. She leaned against Shiakamaru to get his attention, and he looked down at her.

"I forget, which guy was the one who hired them?" Shikamaru waited until the screen showed a group of the men and pointed out the 'guy' Yuri was looking for. "Thanks," she whispered. Yuri kept her head on Shikamaru's shoulder, and she watched the movie, trying to remember who everyone was.

Kiba leaned over about halfway through the movie and whispered something into Shikamaru's ear. Yuri was half asleep, so she didn't make out what he said, but she watched him transport Yuri onto Shikamaru's lap. She closed her ears as he gave her a light kiss on the forehead, and the next thing Yuri knew, she was asleep.

Shikamaru watched Kiba as he made his way past the bodies that were laying on the floor, watching the movie. Kiba had left Akamaru at home alone, and was worried about him. Shikamaru looked down at Yuri, who was now fully in his lap. The male ninja, put his arm aorund her shoulders, and one under her legs, hugging her close. _She's so tiny, _he thought, looking down into her angelic face.

Yuri stirred when a loud noise in the movie woke her up. She opened her eyes and Shikamaru was looking down at her. Yuri looked to her left and wondered where Kiba had gone. She went to move into his spot, so Shikamaru could have his lap back, but Shikamaru stopped her. He shook his head, a smile on his face. It was then that Yuri noticed he had his arms around her, and she smiled back.

Yuri wiggled so she could lean up against Shikamaru's chest. He took his arms away from her until she was comfortable, then wrapped them around her stomach. Yuri felt his arms wrap around her and smiled to herself. '**It looks like he likes you**,' a voice in her head told her.

'Nah, we're just friends,'

'**You can think that, but you know it's not true.**'

Yuri blocked out the voice and tried to concentrate on the movie. She had no idea what was going on, though, because of her 5 minute nap. She didn't want to ask Shikamaru what was going on; he should be able to enjoy the movie without having to talk to her. Yuri gave up all hopes on the movie and decided she was still tired. Leaning on Shikamaru, the little konoichi closed her eyes and fell into a light slumber.

Shikamaru looked down when she leaned into him again. He could feel her heart beat against his, and knew she was asleep. _Damn, she's so __**cute**__ when she's asleep. _Shikamaru rested his head on hers, being careful not to wake the sleeping angel.

Yuri didn't have long to sleep, because the movie would soon be over. _What am I going to do when everyone starts moving around after the movie ends? I don't want to wake her up, but..._

Shikamaru cuddled Yuri against him when Naruto got up to turn on the lights. Neji turned off the dvd player and the tv, and another line for the bathroom formed. It was basically the same procedure as after the first movie.

Shikamaru reached out a foot and tripped the first person to go past him. The person was Shino, and though Shikamaru could tell he was a little pissed, Shikamaru knew he would help him. When Shino regained his balance, Shikamaru nodded towards the girl in his arms, and Shino got the picture.

Shikamaru watched as Shino made his way around the room, telling people to keep quiet. Soon it was close to silent, and Shikamaru was looking around for Naruto. Instead, he came face to face with Ino, Tenten, and Sakura.

Sakura was hte first to whisper, "Awww...poor Yuri-chan! She fell asleep during the movie!"

Ino giggled, covering her mouth to make sure she wasn't too loud. "Yeah, but look at the _way _she fell asleep! She must've been really cozy with Shikamaru-kun to sit on his lap like that!"

Hinata was next to comment, "Y-yeah, but I saw Kiba-kun leave halfway through the movie. I'm s-sure Yuri-chan must've been pretty sleepy by then, and Kiba and Shikamaru were sharing the beanbag, so he just had Shikamaru hold Yuri-chan like that."

Shikamaru grimaced. _Why the hell are girls so curious about everything? They're so damn troublesome!_

Shikamaru started when Yuri stirred. She fluttered open her eyes and looked up at him. At first she looked confused, like she didn't know where she was. The konoichi looked around her and her eyes fell upon the trio of girls who had just been talking about her. Then she seemed to notice Shikamaru, who was still holding on to her, was watching her.

"I'm...what the hell? Can you please let go, Shikamaru-kun?" Yuri asked, a bit of annoyance in her voice. Shikamaru let go, and the konoichi slipped in the indentation Kiba had made in the beanbag. Yuri stretched pulling her arms above her head like Shikamaru had. The effect: her tanktop pulled up past her bellybutton, getting a few odd looks from the guys in the room, who had nothing better to do than watch the conversations happening around them.

Yuri seemed to notice her shirt pulled up and she pulled it back down, embarassed. Unfortunately, the damage was done. Even with her net shirt underneath, the guys had seen her perfectly shaped tummy (haha, I like that word), and they were in practical _awe_. Even Shino, who was usually so quiet and bland, smiled at the girl's blush.

Yuri felt it was best for her to escape the room, so she grabbed Sakura's hand and rushed out of the tv room, into the nearest empty room, the living room.

Sakura laughed at her friend's receeding blush. "Haha, you have to be more careful with what you show. Those guys are going to be all over you now! Hahahahaha!!!" Yuri didn't find her friend's sense of humor amusing, but she grinned anyway. "I didn't even think about it, I mean, you don't usually plan on your shirt going up when you stretch your arms. Now I have to devise a plan to make htem stay away."

Sakura was a bit shocked. "Yuri-chan, why would you want to _get away _from the boys? I mean, some of them are kinda cute...I'm not saying any names...but just look at the way Shikamaru was holding you during the movie. I mean, it's kinda obvious that he likes you. Plus, you fell asleep so easily, you can definitely trust him."

Yuri looked at her friend. "You think? I mean, I don't...damn it! For once in my life I don't have anything witty and sarcastic to say! Shit! I feel so naked without my sarcasm protecting me."

Sakura laughed, "You're so damn funny, Yuri-chan. Come on, let's go back out into the tv room and see what's going on. It's probably pretty close to midnight, so we should think about leavig soon." Sakura started towards the door, but turned and said, "Oh, and Ino, Tenten, and I are going to walk home together, so you should probably get one of your new fanboys to walk you home."

Yuri shuddered. "Don't say that word...it's creepy. 'Fanboys?' Really, that's just wrong." Nonetheless, she followed the pink-haired konoichi bakc into the tv room.

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Alright, I'm not going to update again until I get 10 comments, from at least 5 different people. Please tell people about this story, it's not very popular! I'll be working on the next few chapters, and I'll try to update one every day after we reach that 10 comment/5 different members mark. Tata for now!


	8. Chapter 8

Yay! We reached our mark! School has officially started, and I have volleyball practice everyday after school, plus piano and hanging with my stupider friends who need homework help. So, I might not update as often as I used to. I'll be sure to get lots of ideas though!

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Nobody looked up when Sakura and Yuri walked back into the tv room. Yuri was glad, she was beginning to think she had one of those phobias, and hers was a phobia of being put in the spotlight. Naruto was wandering aorund from group to group, listening in on conversations and sometimes adding in his two cents.

Naruto glanced over to Yuri and smiled, Yuri smiled back. She hoped everything would go back to normal, I mean, she hadn't _meant _to show off her perfect stomach. She wished she had never treated it as more than it was. _Running out of the room was a bit much, _she reasoned with herself.

'**Well, at least now you have a few more fanboys.**'

'_Eek! Don't say that! That word is so terrible_!'

'**What, 'fanboys'? Gosh, you're such a wimp. I have no idea what they see in you.**'

Yuri shut out her inner voice again, now really pissed. She had a sudden though, '_Hey, I wonder what time it is_...' Walking over to Naruto, she tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Naruto-kun, might you know what time it is?" she asked. Her friend jogged around the corner, into the kitchen, and jogged back. "Yikes!" he exclaimed. "It's already one in the morning, or close to it!"

Yuri nodded, and Naruto waited for his friend to say something. "Yeah, I should be getting home soon," Yuri said out loud, not really aware of her action. Her eyes were glazed over, and she had a dreamy look on her face. Naruto waved his hand in front of her eyes, and she snapped back to reality.

"Ah! Sorry, Naruto-kun. I was just thinking of the mission we might have tomorrow, of, I mean today. I'm really looking forward to it!" Naruto gave his friend a big smile, and she smiled back. "Ne, Naruto-kun, I'm going back to my apartment. Can you tell Sakura-chan for me?"

Naruto nodded, but before Yuri could walk towards the door, he stopped her. "Are you sure you don't want someone to walk you home?" he asked. "It might be dangerous at night." Yuri shook her head, and then seemed to think better of it. "I don't know who lives over there," she said. "If someone _did _take me home, I wouldn't want it to be out of their way."

Naruto thought for a second. "Let's see, you live over in the Oakwood Apartments, don't you? I think Shikamaru and Choji live over there, they have side-by-side apartments in a nearby complex. I'll go get them!" Naruto said happily, and before Yuri could stop him, Naruto had vanished from her side. _Looks like I have an escort, whether I want one or not!_

Yuri leaned against a wall until Naruto appeared beside her again, towing behind him a reluctant looking Shikamaru. "Shikamaru's going to take you home!" Naruto said proudly, pulling said ninja in the direction of the door. Yuri looked a bit surprised, but followed the two, picking up her shoes and her dvd on the way.

Naruto said good night, and then closed the door, leaving Shikamaru and Yuri alone. Shikamaru automatically headed off in the direction of the apartments, and Yuri followed him. "Um, ano, Shikamaru-kun?" Yuri asked, trying to keep up with her new friend's fast pace. "I'm sorry you had to leave the party early to walk me home."

Shikamaru looked behind him and saw Yuri was struggling to keep up with him. Slowing his pace, he said, "Nah, I thought about leaving a long time ago, I was actually waiting for _you_ to leave. I knew we lived close together, so I wanted to make sure you got home safely. No big deal, really."

Yuri smiled, even though Shikamaru couldn't see it. "Um, but, what about Choji-kun?"

"Oh? Choji's a big boy, and I don't mean that literally. He can take care of himself. But...a girl, all alone on a street at night...that's something different. Some drunk bastard might take it upon himself to _escort_ you home, if you know what I mean."

"Hmm...Shikamaru, you should shut up now. You're making yourself sound like you actually care," Yuri teased. "But..." Yuri sobered. "You're right. And I hate to admit it, but I probably would've stayed at the party longer, if I knew I'd have had to go home alone. It's a scary thought, really."

Shikamaru looked back at the konoichi. Her head was down, and her hair was hanging down like a veil. He stopped, and she bumped into him. Shikamaru put his hand on Yuri's head and said, "Yeah, a scary thought, but one you don't need to have. Especially when I'm around."

Yuri blushed, Shikamaru's words were running around in her mind. _'Especially when I'm around?' That's...it's like..._

"'Especially when I'm around.' It's a safety phrase. Right?" Yuri felt Shikamaru's hand slip off her head and onto her shoulder as the two started walking again. "What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked. He didn't know why he had said it, but his actions were getting him a lecture. Never good.

Yuri stepped closer to Shikamaru and explained. "Well, when you say something like that, it's almost like saying, 'I love you.'" Yuri could feel Shikamaru tense, and she laughed. "No, it's not like that. I mean, when you think about it, not very many people truly know what the meaning of, 'I love you,' is. They're happy when they hear it, and it makes them feel warm in side. That's because it's a safety phrase. It makes you feel safe when you hear it, and you don't think much about it. Like, it might draw you're attention if you read it in a book, but some people would pass over it."

Shikamaru was beginning to understand. "So, you're saying that there are some phrases and words that people don't think much about, because they're only there to comfort the person they're being directed at?" When Yuri nodded, he continued, "And, if people took time to think about them..."

"They'd be suprised at how much they could really mean." Shikamaru pondered the thought for a moment. If he had to say..._Even I don't know what the true meaning of 'I love you,' is. This girl...she must either be really deep, or has way too much time on her hands._

"Whatcha thinkin'?" his walking partner asked. "Hn? Oh, just pondering what you had said. How'd you know I was thinking, though. I could have just not had anything to say."

Yuri looked up at him and smiled. "I just knew. You were, um, giving signals. I don't know how to explain it, I just _knew_."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, we're almost here." Shikamaru took his arm away from Yuri's shoulders so he could open the complex door. Yuri walked in and headed down the hall in the direction of her apartment. "Mine's down here," she said, pointing down the corridor. "Thanks for walking me home, Shikamaru-kun!"

Shikamaru shrugged, leaning against the doorway. "It was nothing. I live a block or two over, so I only have another minute or two until I get to my apartment. But, uh, Yuri-chan?" Yuri brightened at the honorific added to her name. It sounded so _special_ when _he_ said it. "Yes, Shikamaru-kun?"

Shikamaru gave Yuri an honest to goodness smile. Yuri was enchanted, the way he leaned against the door, and smiled at her, the moon visible in the space between him and the door. He looked so cool, and...

"You taught me something tonight. You made me think outside the box, and...I learned something I never would have thought of before. Thanks."

Yuri beamed back at him. "It was no problem! What life without a bit of learning, anyway?" Yuri turned and waved over her shoulder. "Thanks again, Shikamaru-kun! See you tomorrow! Hopefully!" Yuri disappeared into her apartment, it having been unlocked. Shikamaru waited at the complex door for a few more minutes, and then left off to his own apartment.

----------------

Yuri was early. Way too early. She had gotten up a few hours earlier than needed, and had gotten ready in record time. The konoichi was now at the bridge Team 7 met at when they had missions and training.

Yuri walked over to the bridge's railing and looked down into the clear, aqua blue water. Leaning on the rail, she gazed at the water as it zipped past underneath her. "It's different..." she murmured.

"What's different?" Sasuke asked. He had suddenly appeared behind the girl, and she acknoweldged him with a tilt of her head. "The water...it's different here than it is in the Land of Waves. Or, at least, it _seems_ different."

Sasuke came and stood by the railing next to Yuri, who was still gazing at the water with a passion, as though she were waiting for it to spring up and perform a show. "Oh, is that so?" Sasuke asked, glancing from Yuri, to the water, and back again.

Yuri nodded, her eyes never leaving the water. "In the Land of Waves, the water is a sea green. And it's only clear where it's shallower than a foot. There are times when it looks blue, but even if the sun shines off of it, the water is green."

Sasuke thought about it. He hadn't paid much attention to the water in the Land of Waves, so he'd just have to take her word for it. "Why a foot or shallower?" he asked, if only to keep a conversation going rather than to find out the answer.

"The kelp and sea grass can only grow to a height of one foot, because of the trimming our village does. We cut the plants down to a length of one foot so that the boats won't get stuck, and so that you won't slip on any wet rocks or anything if you have to walk in the water. The sea grass is actually pretty good at keeping you on your feet, it's the kelp you have to worry about, because it's slippery itself."

Sasuke listened to Yuri's somewhat lengthy speech. "You sound like an expert on the subject," he commented.

"Nope," she said, leaning even more onto the railing. "I just look, observe. And I remember. Compare. And then I spread the knowledge."

"Please explain," Sasuke said, an amused look on his face. _Spread the knowledge? She's like...like..._

"A teacher. I'm like a teacher. I observe things people wouldn't usually notice, and then I remember then by storing them in my mind. When I come across something else, I'll usually remember what I have stored in my brain. Then I can compare the two objects, like the waters here and in the Land of Waves. Then , I'll be sure to slip it to someone, so they know too, just like I told you. And how I told Shikamaru last night."

Sasuke tensed at Shikamaru's name. He hid it, though, and laughed. "You talked about _water_ with Shikamaru?"

"No," Yuri said simply. "We didn't. We talked about...love." Sasuke was quiet for a moment, and Yuri added, "In a roundabout way, but that's basically it."

Sasuke was quiet for a while longer, thinking about what Yuri had said. _I wonder what they __really__ talked about, because Shikamaru doesn't strike me as a love-talking-ninja. Then again, he and Kiba didn't really mind having Yuri on their laps, so Yuri probably forced him into conversation. Wonder how many times he tried to change the subject!_

Sasuke was brought out of his thoughts when Yuri stepped away from the railing and walked quickly down the bridge to the street on it's end. She knelt down at the water's edge and dipped her hand into the water. "What are you doing?" Sasuke asked loudly, as though she couldn't hear from down by the water's edge.

"I was wondering...the water here...it's warmer than ours. You could go swimming in this water, it's so warm. You got a cold if you got soaked in the water from our country, or if you tried to swim in it." Yuri took her hand out of the water at stared at it, as though it had grown another finger. "Wish I had a map..." she muttered.

Sasuke heard her wish, and rolled his eyes. "You're so weird, you know that? I mean, really. One day you're extremely hyper, and the next, you're so quiet, and pondering scenery, it's a complete transformation!"

Yuri looked a bit annoyed. "I don't only observe the scenery when I'm quiet like this, you know," she told him, walking back up to the top of the bridge, taking her place at the railing. "I'm always aware of my surroundings, or at least I try to be."

"Why _are_ you so quiet today?" Sasuke asked, this time actually interested in the answer.

"Why aren't you being your usual lecherous self?" Yuri asked, her annoyance growing. "Not that I mind, I like having these pleasant talks with you."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but Naruto closed it. "Sasuke!" he grinned. "Don't say anything, okay? I have the perfect thing to say right now that'll really annoy her!"

Naruto took his hand from Sasuke's mouth and Sasuke asked, "Fine, what is it?" Naruto scratched his head and answered, "Um, I forget. But it was really good, though!"

Yuri burst into laughter. "Oh, yeah! That was REALLY annoying! Maybe for Sasuke-kun! You should know better than to look to Naruto-kun for witty remarks!" Sasuke had a bit of red tinge on his cheeks, and it was divided between embarassment and anger. Knocking Naruto on the head, he asked, "Why the hell are _you_ here this early, Naruto-teme?" (Note: -teme - 'you bastard' in Japanese. In other words, he said, "Why are _you_ here this early, Naruto you bastard?")

Naruto rubbed his head and grinned. "I don't know, I stayed up late last night like you guys, but I felt really energetic this morning, and got up early to wait for you guys. But you're already here!" Naruto laughed, and Yuri chuckled along with him. "Yeah, I sorta felt the same way when I got up," the konoichi admitted.

"Oh, really? So, I wasn't the only one?" a voice said from behind Naruto. "Sakura?" Naruto asked, turning around on the spot. "You're early too?"

Sakura nodded and walked up to Yuri, who had her hands resting on the railing. "Yeah, but I wonder how long it takes for Kakashi-sensei to get here. It'd probably be easier to hang around in the village and come back later."

Yuri turned away from her friends and looked back out to the water. "You guys can go, if you want," she said. "I'm staying here."

"Why?" Sakura and Naruto asked in unison. Sasuke scoffed and answered for her, "Because she wants to look at the water."

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Sasuke-kun," yet another voice said. Team 7 turned and looked at the newcomer, or should I say, newcomers. Tenten, Hinata, and Ino were standing on the sidewalk by the bridge. Ino and Sakura waved to each other, and Sakura jogged down the bridge to meet her friends. Naruto saw Hinata and waved, causing the delicate girl to blush and wave back.

"Hey losers, we were about to go shopping, wanna come with?" Ino said. Naruto pumped his fist into the air and went to stnd by Hinata, and Sakura was already near the group. Sasuke shrugged his I-have-nothing-better-to-do shrug, and walked down the bridge with his hands in his pockets.

"What about you, Yuri-chan? Aren't you coming?" Yuri shook her head and Tenten's inquiry, and called out, "Nah, I just got through saying I'd rather stay here." Tenten shrugged, "Alright, we'll be wandering around if you need us."

Yuri watched as her friends and Team 7 walked off, leaving her at the bridge. Yuri looked back out ot the water. It was always running, even if it didn't look like it. She could tell it was heading west, but then again, it could have only appeared that way. Again, she found herself wishing for a map.

"It _could_ turn, and head in another direction. I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Yuri turned at the voice and her eyes met with the eyes of Shikamaru. "Wonder what?" he asked again, walking up the bridge to join his new-found friend.

Yuri blinked a few times and then looked back out to the water. "I was wondering...which direction it heads in." Shikamaru saw her looking at the water, and guessed what she was thinking. "Oh, I'm pretty sure it heads north, or west, I can't remember. There's a large river in the west, so it could be a tributary from that, but the north is the ocean, even if this tiny stream could make it there."

Yuri sighed, "Yeah, it's times like these that I wish I were dork enough to carry around a map." Shikamaru laughed, "Yeah, it'd be pretty helpful. But, why were you wondering about this little stream?"

Now it was Yuri's turn to laugh. "I had to answer the same question earlier, coming from Sasuke-kun. Actually, I sort of have this process..."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Yuri said softly. She was remembering the time her grandfather had taught her the whole thing. "First, you have to take in your surroundings, just like someone could read a book and take in info. Then you have to store the information somewhere in your mind, and forget about it. When the time comes, you'll remember the info, and then you can compare it with new info. The last step is to share your knowledge with others, so they know."

"What were you comparing?"

"The water here, and the water in the Land of Waves."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head with one hand and the other hand rested on the railing. The lazy ninja looked up into the sky and muttered, "I thought water was water, didn't think there was anything different about it."

Yuri shrugged, "There aren't very many differences, really. Just stuff like color, temperature. There's salt and fresh water, and if you want to get really complicated, you could go into what sort of plants and stuff grows in the water, but I don't carry a whole chem lab with me, so I can't take water samples and everything."

Shikamaru looked down at Yuri. "So...you're like, a mini-genius, right? I mean, I don't know anyone else who actually goes through that whole process just looking at a stream running through a village."

Yuri laughed. "A mini-genius? I wish! I could never beat _you_ at any game, I could never even come close! Nah, I just...take extra time out of the day to think. And by think, I mean sit in a tree and stare off into space."

"Would you try?"

"Hu-huh?" Yuri was overcome by the look on Shikamaru's face. He was looking out into the sky, both hands on the railing. "Whould you try to beat me in a game? If you had a chance?" Yuri made a face, what an odd question. "I suppose so..." she said slowly. "Why? Are you going to challenge me to a game of Shogi or something?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Shikamaru said, looking down at his friend. "I have a board and pieces at home, we could play out here, on the bridge, while we wait for the others to get back. That is, if you're up to the challenge."

Yuri smirked, "You're on," she said. "But, I might have to challenge you again, if I can't beat you the first time."

Shikamaru smirked back, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

----------

"Ugh, Shikamaru! You have me trapped in a corner AGAIN!" Yuri cried. She had been able to avoid most of the lazy ninja's attacks and traps, but it was the 4th time he had her trapped in a sticky situation, and they were only on their second game. Shikamaru won the first game, and Yuri had instantly demanded a re-game.

"You're not paying attention," Shikamaru responded, eyes glued to the board. "I can see one good move that would take a few of my important pieces."

"Don't tell me, dumbass. You're giving me hope when you say things like that."

Shikamaru grinned, "That's the point. But, you'll never figure it out."

Yuri sighed, she hadn't been doing too well. It was so odd to be sitting out on a bridge, playing a game of Shogi, with a boy she had only met the night before. While she was waiting for her late sensei and the other team members to show up. Yuri had never been good at Shogi, but she usually could better visualize the board.

"That's it!" she yelled. Shikamaru winced at her sudden loud noise. Eyeing his playing partner suspiciously, he watched as Yuri turned on the the stop where she sat, so that her back was facing Shikamaru. Then she scouted forward a few feet and leaned back, so she was laying on her back, eyes on the board. "Much better," she sighed.

Shikamaru watched closely when Yuri went to surview the board, for about the hundreth time that game. When she tried to move, her hand knocked down the pieces, (it was an awkward situation, her hands having to reach past her head), and the girl sighed. "Shikamaru-kun, could you please move my bishop, I think you know what I want to do."

Shikamaru scratched his head. "Wait...that's not the move I was talking about. But..." Shikamaru looked down at the board. "If you moved your bishop it'd..."

"Take down your King. I win." Yuri grinned wildly, and Shikamaru thought back. "Oh, so when you..."

"Yup!" Shikamaru hadn't even finished his sentence. Sighing, the genius boy ran his hand along the back of his neck. "Yuri-chan, you're one of hte first people to beat me at a game of Shogi. I guess that means you get one wish, right?"

Yuri looked a bit surprised. "One...wish? I don't get it. How are you supposed to grant me a wish? Especially when you're as lazy as you are right now." Shikamaru wasn't too pleased about that last remark, but he shook his head. "Nah, just make it something easy."

Yuri grinned. "Alright, I know. As my wish, you have to stay here and talk with me untl the others come back." Shikamaru thought he heard wrong, but he shrugged and said, "Alright. What do you walk to talk about?"

Yuri grinned again; the day was turning out well. "Let's see where the conversation takes us, shall we?"


	9. Chapter 9

Alrighty, now I have to type a lot slower, because I now know the pain of bruising the bones of your wrist, just like Yuri. (Funny how that works out, ne?) But, unfortunately, it wasn't a guy who hacked my wrists, it was a volleyball. Hitting me continuously. On the SAME FREAKING SPOT! Okay, let's just get to the damn story. grumbles

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Yuri was sitting on the railing of the bridge. Shikamaru was standing at the railing, as close as possible, without knocking his friend off the railing and into the warm water. They had been in that same position for a while now. After talking about random subjects for a while, the two had decided to play a game. And Yuri promised that the game would be funner if they played by the railing.

"Alright, so, how do we play this game?" Shikamaru asked, turning his head so that he has breathing on Yuri's bare neck. Yuri tingled at the feeling, and she replied, "The rules are simple. I get to ask you a question, and you have to respond with the first thing that comes into your head. If you take longer than 5 seconds to answer, I get to push you into the water."

Shikamaru made a face. "I'm not _on_ the railing like you are. It's not going to be easy to push me into the water. And besides, isn't 5 seconds a little too short for a response? I mean, I know you don't want me to lie and stuff, but really. 5 seconds?"

Yuri gave him a look that could only be desribed as the 'you-can-beat-anyone-at-Shogi-yet-you-can't-play-a-children's-game?' look. Because she was on the railing, the girl had a minor height advantage, and she used it to give Shikamaru a noogie. "That's kinda pathetic, don't you think? Trying to change the rules for your own benefit? Anyway, this isn't a one-sided game. You get to ask _me_ questions too, you know. And you get to push _me _into the water if I take longer than 5 seconds."

Shikamaru thought for a moment. It seemed like a harmless game, and it's not like he'd actually be low enough to push a girl off a bridge into a shallow canal of water, where she could be possibly injured. "Alright, I'll play."

Yuri was happy her newest friend had decided to play her little game. But, what would she ask him? A thought came into her head. "Quick! What is love?"

Shikamaru knew he didn't have time to think out a proper response, so he quickly responded with, "Well, let's see, it's whatever you make it, right?" Pause, to think. "I mean love is like chakra, and you can use it several ways. Also, you can release it a little at a time, like in a hug or a pat on the back, or you can use up a lot at a time with kisses and, er, _other_ things." Shikamaru sighed, the game wouldn't be too hard if he could say _something _before the 5 seconds were up, and then he could go into a better explanation.

Yuri's eyes widened, had he figured that out all on his own? _Hehe, he isn't dense like other boys. _Wait...he's missing something. "That's not...adequant. I mean, you're...you've got a part of the explanation missing. Like...I'm not sure what it is...but..."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuri. He was only using it as a mask, for he was really actually a bit curious as to what she meant. "I left something out?" he asked. Thinking back to the previous night, he lifted his face up to the sky and said, "Well, I told you something, and you said something about it being a safety phrase, or something like that. And that if people really thought about it, they'd realize how much meaning there is in the words of 'I love you'.

"WHAT????" a voice screeched from the left side of the bridge. Yuri was so suprised she leaned forward and almost fell head first off the railing, but Shikamaru caught her by the back of her shirt and pulled her back into his arms. The strong ninja lifted the smaller girl and refused to put her down until she uncurled her legs and actually _used_ them.

"What did you just say, Shikamaru?" Ino and Sakura demanded, their voices blending into one, loud, annoying one. HInata and Tenten were standing a little farther back, with Naruto and Sasuke, who had funny faces on their mouths, like they had just taken a bite of bad fish and were in a battle to not spit it out.

Shikamaru blinked. "When did you guys get here?" he asked, unaware of the hiding Yuri. Yuri had been so surprised by the sudden meeting, she wasn't even sure why she was hiding behind Shikamaru, she honestly had no good reason, but Ino and Sakura looked scary.

Ino snorted and lifted her head high into the air. "Just in time to her you say, 'I love you,' to poor, innocent Yuri-chan. Really, you too are nothing alike!"

Yuri shook her head at Ino's pig-headedness. Jumping out from her hiding spot (aka, Shikamaru's back,) the kunoichi grinned and, in an attempt to change the subject, said, "Guess what? I beat Shikamaru-kun in a game of Shogi!" The small group at the base of the bridge took a moment to process the information Yuri had just given them, and then the first stage began. Denial.

"Yeah right!" Naruto scoffed. "NOBODY can beat Shikamaru at Shogi, even the 3rd Hokage had a hard time." At the mention of the old man, the whole group sobered, and Yuri had a feeling she was about to ask a very stupid question. The question just popped into her head, even if it was a tad bit off subject. "Um, Naruto-kun, how should I...who really was the 3rd Hokage to you, personally?"

Naruto looked at the girl in surprise. He had never considered the Hokage's and his relationship as a very serious matter; they had been close, but not as close as father and son. Maybe just, "We were close friends. We...shared many secrets with each other. And...gave each other comfort." As he spoke, he watched Yuri's eyes. They kept changing from emotion to emotion, and he had a split second to observe a particular emotion before another took it's place.

"I...I see," Yuri said, her voice sounding heavy and awkward. "I guess, that explains it." Naruto didn't have to ask, he understood perfectly.

"Uh, hello everyone. Am I late again?" another voice came from behind Yuri's back. The girl turned to see her sensei leaning against the railing, holding his book at his side. He too had a curious look on his face, as though he were watching a despairing confusing situation unfold under his nose, and couldn't figure anything out.

Yuri's emotions were cut in halves, and then quarters, until she had everything mixed in with everything else. Part of her wanted to run over to her sensei and hug him, and the other part wanted to run over and hit him so hard he couldn't go on the mission. Although, he did play a good role in being late, this time. Like being saved by the bell.

"Oh, um, sensei, yes, you're late. Well, actually, we're all early. Glad to see you! We were just talking, but we can stop now and do anything you have planned for us!" Yuri said nervously. There was one thing she didn't want to talk about, and she knew a particular blonde girl was going to bring it up if they stayed much longer.

Rubbing the nape of his neck, Kakashi thought. "Well, we got a mission, but it'd only take us a few minutes, really. Well, not literally, but it couldn't take very long. And then you guys could have the rest of the day off, unless Tsunade-sama has something planned I don't know about."

Yuri sighed and nodded, letting her focus wander from the small group for a little bit. "Alright, let's get going, then. Naruto-kun. Sasuke-kun. Sakura-chan." Yuri made a motion to walk up to Kakashi, but Ino stopped her. "Hey, what were you..."

Yuri turned on the spot and gave Ino the ugliest look her face could muster without breaking in half. Ino stopped midsentence and looked terrified, then went to hide behind Tenten and Hinata, who had been watching the whole thing with straight faces.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura jogged after Yuri. The kunoichi was pulling Kakashi along behind her by the wrists, in an attempt to get as far away as possible. "Bye guys!" the energetic kunoichi shouted behind her back. "We'll see you later!" With that, Team 7 went off to get the details of their next mission.

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Alright, sorry it was so short this time, I just wanted to update. Screw my goals, I want to get on to the good part of the story. I'm probably going to end this in a chap or two, and then work on getting a few of the ones mentioned on my PROFILE (look at it, seriously) up. I've been nagged at, my mind is nagging me. Naggyness in my mind. Nags, bags, hags, all in my mind. There. So, I'll give you the details in the next chapter. Ja ne!


	10. Chapter 10

Alright! Back, with chappy 9! Guess I haven't sad this in a while, but I don't own Naruto, I only own Yuri-chan and Benny-kun. This is the chapter I've been totally waiting for! I got the whole idea from this thing! I especially love the jacket thing!

Oh, and please PLEASE tell people about this story, it isn't getting the attention it ultimately deserves!

Again, this chappy is short. sighs It's just not working.

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Yuri wiped the sweat off of her brow. It was early October, and she was training alone in the woods on the border of Konoha. As far as she knew, the others were still sleeping in; she had been at the training grounds for quite a while, long enough to lose track of the time, if that's any estimate.

Walking over to her favorite tree, the tired blonde sank down to the ground, resting her aching back against the rough, cold bark of the tree. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but the girl wasn't exactly wearing the best of clothes for early October. _Shorts and a too-small T-shirt, huh? What was I thinking?_

Yuri put her head into her hands. _The cold feels so good, I know I'd be freezing if it weren't for the fact that I have an elevated temperature from my training. Maybe next time I should bring a light jacket. _Yuri looked up from her hands and into the sky. _It must be close to 9 A.M., maybe. I know I left EARLY, so it's hard to tell._

Yuri stood up, already bored of sitting under the tree. Trying to decide between training for another hour or going into town and wandering around the shops, Yuri didn't notice the three ninja coming her way. So she was startled when the three appeared right before her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she asked, eyeing the ninja carefully. She only recognized one of them, the other two were foreign. They definitely didn't come from Konoha, their clothes were too odd. Struggling, Yuri reached down into her thoughts, trying very hard to remember the one ninja's name.

"Hello!" the only female in the group said. "I'm sure you don't know us, but we're here to escort you to Suna!"

Yuri made a face. "Am I supposed to believe that?" she asked dryly. The girl looked a little crazy, she had blonde hair only a little lighter than her own, and it was up in four pigtails. She even sounded crazy; who would actually believe that lame excuse?

"Of course you are. It'd almost sound like we were kidnapping you if you didn't," a larger ninja wearing a hood and purple face paint said. He laughed at his own joke, even though it wasn't funny. The other two ninja didn't think it was funny either, they kept their mouthes closed. Awkward silence.

"Anyway," the blonde continued. "Your Hokage-sama _ordered _us to do this, so it _is _a bit like kidnapping. I take it she didn't tell you about it?" The blonde added a hint of curiousity to her voice, and Yuri gave a little snort. "Like I'd go with you anyway," she said, turning to walk in the other direction. She didn't go very far, however, because suddenly the third ninja - the one she vaguely remembered - suddenly appeared before her.

"You don't really have a choice," he said in a deep, rich voice. Yuri frowned, this _was _turning into an abduction case.

"How do I know you aren't lying?" the girl huffed, and turned again, crossing her arms for effect. "And besides," she added, a glint in her eye. "The Hokage knows I'd kick her ass if she tried something like this."

The hooded ninja stepped forward and snorted. "Like a tiny girl like you could ever hurt the Hokage!" He instantly regreted his words when he went flying across the clearing and slammed into a tree.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT. I'D KICK YOUR ASS HARDER, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE YOUR TEAMMATES DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED BY GOING TO YOUR FUNERAL!" Yuri shouted, her right hand in a fist, shaking in menacingly at the halfway unconscious ninja. The ninja, who was literally seeing stars, mumbled a few words, and then fell unconscious, much to Yuri's delight. She was about to stomp over to her new punching bag when a hand stopped her.

"Don't." A single word, but uttered so carefully that Yuri could understand the meaning to it as if the owner had rambled on from sentence to sentence. Yuri took a closer look, and noticed the kanji for 'love' on the mans forehead. She had seen it before...but where? _God, I hate mental blocks! They're so damn annoying!_

Yuri huffed and pulled her wrist of out the other's firm grip. She rubbed her wrists, just out of habit, and then stuck her tongue out at the still unconscious ninja. "Serves him right, picking on me like that."

The blonde kunoichi from the group laughed. "Jeez, you sure beat up that dumbass Kankurou. Then again, it hasn't been the first time someone sent him flying, right Gaara?"

Yuri gasped, then turned to face the man known as Gaara. "Now I remember! You were at Naruto's party! I KNEW I had met you before. Jeez, it took long enough for the thought to come to mind, though!" Gaara just shrugged and walked calmly over to Kankurou. "I thought you'd remember me sooner," he uttered, no extra emotion spared in his voice.

"Hm," Yuri said, and she watched Gaara attempt to wake up Kankurou. "So," she said, turning to the blonde. "Who are you? That dude there is Kankurou, right? You said his name earlier, and I've met Gaara. You're next, I suppose."

The blonde laughed. "Right! My name's Temari, and Gaara and Kankurou are my brothers. I'm the oldest, Kankurou's in the middle, and Gaara's the youngest, alhtough now of that matters now." Temari turned serious, and stared Yuri directly in the eyes. "I'm serious, your Hokage wants us to take you to Suna. It sounds funky, I know, but nowadays anything can happen, I suppose."

Yuri refused to believe what Temari was saying. "That doesn't make sense, surely she'd tell me about anything this big," the smaller blonde argued. When Temari just shook her head, Yuri turned and started running in the direction of the Hokage's office. "I'm going to ask her about it!" she shouted back to the protests coming from Temari's mouth.

----------

Yuri got pretty far before she had to stop for a breather. Her arms and legs were shaking from the cold, and she leaned against a fence for support, taking deep breathes. It be nice if she could beat Gaara and the others to the Hokage's office.

"It's so damn cold," she grumbled into the air. The girl was bent over at the waist, her upper body supported by her arms. She was startled for the second time that day when someone walked up to her and offered her their coat. From her vantage point, she could only see the bottom of the coat and the person's lower legs, but when she looked up she was even more surprised to see Gaara. The sand nin was standing there, looking down at Yuri, with his arm extended to offer her his coat.

Yuri stood up and Gaara shoved the coat at her. She took it and held it close to her, not entirely sure what to do. "Um...th, thank you," she managed to stutter, before wrapping herself in the the coat. The sleeves were a few inches to long, and the bottom of the coat itself reached midway to her thigh. But it was surprisingly warm, seeing as how Gaara had just been wearing it.

"You shouldn't be wearing skimpy clothes like those at this time in the year," the emotionless ninja scolded her. Yuri thought of shooting something nasty right back at him, but he was being kind for lending her his jacket, and she settled on, "I was training, I planned on going straight home afterwards to change." She didn't need to include specifics, like a shower and a snack. Gaara just shrugged at her explanation and watched the road.

Yuri stood, leaning against the wall, and Gaara stood in the middle of the road. "What are we waiting for?" Yuri asked. Gaara took a moment to reply, but answered with, "Temari and Kankurou are still coming. They should be here soon." Yuri made an impatient face, and then scowled. "Why can't we go on without them?" she asked. Gaara didn't reply at all, he settled on sending the girl a death glare that told her to just shut up and wait. Shut up and wait she did.

Temari and Kankurou took a good 15 minutes to reach Gaara and Yuri. Yuri's patience had run out a long time ago, (aka, 14 minutes and 59 seconds ago), and she was utterly pissed they had to wait on such slow slugs. _How do they ever get anything done on missions? _she wondered, silently watching as Temari painstakingly dragged her younger brother down the road.

"I'm going, the Hokage's office is only a few minutes from here," Yuri said decisively. Gaara didn't indicate to stop when she started off at a run, but she slowed and waited when she felt his prescence drawn nearer to his. Which didn't take too long.

"I told Temari we'd see her there," the red-head explained. He and Yuri were both running, neck and neck, towards the Hokage's office. Gaara's jacket helped the young girl considerably, and she nodded. "That's fine, I just couldnt wait any longer. This is bullshit, I'm gonna kill that hag." Gaara raised an eyebrow (I don't CARE if it's nonexistant), she sounded like another certain blonde-haired ninja. Mentally shrugging, he increased his speed, the kunoichi was beating him to their destination.

---------

The Hokage looked surprise when the door to her office flew open, revealing a tired, sweaty, and ultimately pissed-off Yuri.

"Hello, Yuri-chan," Tsunade greeted pleasantly. "I would have thought you'd be on your way to Suna by now." Reacting quickly, Tsunade was just able to dodge the punch aimed straight at her face.

"Why the HELL didn't you tell me about this?" Yuri shouted, pulling back her arm. She was going to try and punch again, but a certain red-head stopped her.

Gaara squeezed Yuri's hand until it retracted from it's fist, and fell limply to her side. "I'm sure she has a reason," he said simply, taking a step back.

"Ah, Gaara-kun. I didn't see you there," Tsunade greeted the sand nin, as though she had not just been ferociously attacked by a five-foot, pissed-off, blonde-haired kunoichi. Gaara nodded his head, his way of greeting.

Yuri interrupted, shouting, but a littler quieter than last time. "HEY! You _still_ didn't answer my question!"

It was then that Tsunade noticed Yuri's odd attire. A pair of beach blue shorts, coupled with the overly-too-big jacket of Gaara's, and a tiny bit of white tanktop created an amazing hilarious outfit. The 5th Hokage couldn't help but laugh.

Yuri, who thought the Hokage was laughing at her question, stomped her foot. "HEY!!! You are really pissing me off, old lady. I want an answer to my question. You wanna know what this plot sounds like to me? Well, it sounds like abduction!"

Tsunade looked up from Yuri's clothes into her face. "How in hell did you get abduction from all of this?" she asked, a huge grin on her face. Yuri huffed, "What was I SUPPOSED to think, when three strangers come up to me while I'm training and say that they're there to drag me to Suna, whether I like it or not?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Alright, so what's with the funky wardrobe?"

Yuri looked down at herself and suddenly realized how _ridiculous _she looked. Pulling her arms up, she shook the jacket so that the sleeves fell down past her wrists, and laughed. "Hmm...not exactly the best fashion statemnt I've ever made. But it was cold out!" Yuri laughed with Tsunade and Gaara was secretly thinking how odd women were. _To suddenly change in mood and spirit...now __**that **__is a truely terrifying power._

Tsunade's laughter abruptly stopped. "I suppose you're right, I could've given you a bit of warning first. It was my bad, I promise it won't happen again, if I can help it." Leaning so that she could see Gaara, who was still pondering his thoughts on women, she asked him, "Should we go on, or should we wait for Temari and Kankurou to get here?" Gaara just shrugged, and then added, "It'll take them a while, Yuri-san so graciously knocked Kankurou unconscious, and Temari took it upon herself to drag him here."

Tsunade snickered, _Yuri-chan's been misbehaving, eh_? "Alright Yuri-chan, here's your explanation."

Yuri listened intently. Tsunade twiddled her thumbs and closed her eyes, forming the words in her mind before uttering them to her audience. "You see, Yuri-chan, Konoha is, well, _struggling_. We, we being the village council, have picked a few select ninja and kunoichi to travel to different villages and learn what the villages are willing to teach them. You were lucky emough to be picked as one of the few, and luckier still to be assigned to Suna, the Village in the Sand. Gaara-kun, Temari-chan. and Kankurou-san (Gaara snickered quietly at the honorific) have offered to be your personal bodyguards, as well as your newest senseis."

Noting the look of despair on Yuri's face, she added, "But you won't be there for very long. You just have to learn a few skills, take a test to prove you've learned correctly, and then you get to come back home. If you think about it, it's quite the same as what you are doing for the Land of Waves." Tsnade added this last part quietly, and Yuri grimaced.

"So, basically, you're saying I have no say in this, I have to do it, choices have already been made for me, and I'm being forced in all manners possible?"

"Well, when you say it like that, you're staring at it point blank. It isn't all that bad, really. You seemed so enthusiastic to come here upon your grandfather's will--"

"My grandfather _forced _me to do it, remember? Even if he didn't physically force me to do it, he gave me one opening, and then ensured that I wouldn't use it." Yuri's voice had risen conciderably, and she struggled to keep it low.

Tsunade almost whispered the next sentence. "Yuri-chan, I'm NOT giving you a choice, so deal with it. It's your duty as a ninja, from this village or not."

Yuri resigned, realizing it was useless. "Fine," she grumbled. "I'm leaving. Goodbye." With that, she walked out the door, not waiting for Gaara. Down the stairs, out the entrance and onto the streets, again. She immediately spotted the unconscious Kankurou, and the anxious looking Temari. Walking over to the two, she was suddenly wishing for someone to be there and let her cry. _I'm such a baby, I have to have a special person with me when I cry. And why should I even cry? I'll just put on my stupid tough girl mask, and the others won't want to talk with me. And I definitely won't talk back. Just like the last time, when I left the Land of Waves._

Temari was relieved when she saw Yuri. She could sense her brother somewhere nearby, he was probably on his way down the stairs. _Oh, I hope Yuri-chan doesn't mind this too much. I know I wouldn't like it, but hopefully she can warm up to the idea. _Temari wrung her fingers, and bit her lip when Gaara appeared at the entrance. Yuri had taken up a position by the wall, leaning against it with her eyes closed. As soon as Gaara was within hearing distance, she muttered, "Let's go," and took off towards the city gates, not even opening her eyes to see where she was going.

Temari sighed inwardly. This was going to be _very_ interesting.

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Alright, this is going to be the ast chapter for this particular story. I'm going to work on the ones on my lookup for a bit, and then I'll create another story. It's title will be something like 'The Chronicles of Lily:blah blah blah...', so you just have to look for the 'Chronicles' part. The next story will cover Yuri's adventures in Suna, and I think there'll be one more story following that.

Be forworned!! I didn't have time to put it in this story, but there WILL BE great tragedy ahead. Especially for Yuri. Oh, and Yuri and Gaara get close and personal, (not in that way, just say it seperately. Close. And. Personal.) squeals I can't WAIT!

Ja ne!


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